


You Must Believe in Spring

by Giada Luna (GiadaLuna), GiadaLuna



Series: You Must Believe in Spring [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Eventual Pairings, F/M, MASSIVE cast of characters; will add them as we go., very long story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-31
Updated: 2018-06-04
Packaged: 2018-12-09 06:40:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 59,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11663694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GiadaLuna/pseuds/Giada%20Luna, https://archiveofourown.org/users/GiadaLuna/pseuds/GiadaLuna
Summary: Generations after the Fourth Shinobi War, peace is maintained between nations by the publicly recognized Allied Shinobi Force, and in secret by the ANBU division. A mysterious threat targeting advanced shinobi thrusts Dr. Sakura Haruno into a world of intrigue, secrets, and back in the life of one Sasuke Uchiha, five years after he walked out of hers. See profile for pairings.





	1. Rain Must Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **This work is new on AO3, but started out on FFN in 2014. It is long, and has a -very- large cast of characters, that I will add as I update chapters. Every named character exists in the Narutoverse, either in the anime or the manga. As for pairings, several evolve through the story. Chances are if you ship it it is here somewhere....!!

_A/N:_ _Updated August 2017_ :  _I reserve the right to overhaul my fics every 3 years or so - for more please see notes at the end._

_"You must Believe in Spring" is a song by Michael Legrande. The chapter titles are other titles by the composer_

* * *

**You Must Believe in Spring  
Chapter One: Rain must fall**

* * *

**Friday, March 20th, 10:56 PM Konoha Standard Time  
Yugakure, Land of Steam**

Rain pelted against the thick glass of the hotel window, making it impossible to see much beyond the courtyard below. The onset of the storm was sudden and fierce, as it spiraled out of an atmospheric anomaly and erased what had been a cloudless first day of spring.

He was grateful.

He much preferred the torrential harsh power of the thunderstorm to the cloyingly perfect weather that it replaced. It reminded him too much of another time and another place with her.

He leaned his forehead against the cold glass, and felt the tiny reverberations of the thunder against his skin and the burn of the memory underneath it. He doubted that he would live long enough to ever forget; then again, in his line of work, he probably wouldn't live long enough to do a fair number of things.

Closing his eyes for just a fraction of a second, he slowed his breathing and let the storm overtake his senses.

Laughter echoed in the depths of his memory.

" _Hurry!" the voice danced in his ears, "Or you'll be soaked!" A small hand grabbed his wrist with surprising force and hauled him behind her. "Might as well warm up," she sighed pulling him into the tiny bohemian bistro and waved to the girl behind the counter. Before he could protest, they were seated in front of a fire eating tomato soup with grilled cheese. "Not gourmet," she tilted her head and smiled at him, "but it'll get the job done." He had smirked and nodded while she laughed. That was how they always were – he was quiet and dark; she was laughter and light._

His eyes snapped open as lighting struck close and the air pulsated with energy from the storm. He bit off a silent curse as he shoved away from the window.

There was no use remembering these kinds of things.

They were done.

She was gone.

He had work to do.

As if in response to his redirection of thought, his phone vibrated next to his laptop.

"Uchiha."

" _I just heard back from HQ,_ " the man on the other man began without preamble. " _The storm system is far more extensive than they originally believed it to be. All flights out of Yugakure were cancelled, and it is a busy time of year for them. The soonest we could get you on is Sunday morning."_

He made a scoffing sort of sound.

"I can get there under my own power before then."

" _Oh, easily,"_ he agreed pleasantly _. "But that would hardly work for your cover, or that paper trail we've gone through the trouble of creating and maintaining, now would it? By the way…,"_ the sound of shuffling papers filtered over the phone. " _The storm system has taken down quite a few networks_.  _It will take our guys some time to restore a secure enough connection to support the encrypted files. Work offline until you hear from me._ "

"Ah."

 _"That should about do it, Sasuke. Briefing has been moved to Monday. I'll see you then, 7:00 AM. Sharp_."

"Hn." He half smirked and half snorted before adding "And what time will you be there, Old Man?"

" _What? Sorry - bad connection – must be the storm. See you Monday."_

The perfectly clear connection was severed, leaving Sasuke to grimace into nothing but dead air.

Punctuality was as much an Uchiha trademark as his piercing eyes and signature smirk. Sasuke didn't like to wait, and he didn't like to keep others waiting. That made being on a team with Kakashi particularly frustrating.

He sank on his bed and took a few, meditative breaths while pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and middle finger. He had traveled extensively in a short amount of time, and was understandably fatigued. His gaze drifted to his carry-on where his mission scroll was sealed away. As much as he would like to simply surrender to sleep, he estimated his report would take no less than an hour to complete. With grim determination, he resumed his work – he owed it to his comrades.

The next morning, the aftermath of the storm was widespread. There was little to no true damage done, but city crews were already out and removing fallen branches.

The streets surrounding the hotel were littered with cherry blossoms blown by the storm. Yet a small grove of trees sheltered by hotel still stubbornly held their blooms.

And he couldn't help but smirk at the tenacity of spring.

* * *

 **8:32 PM Suna Time/11:32PM KST  
** **Suna, Dancing Wind Restaurant**

"I have to say, my dear," Master Sarutobi said, sitting back at the table with a wistful smile, "that even I could not have guessed how incredibly well you would've adapted to Suna. You are a remarkable young lady, Ms. Haruno – excuse me! Dr. Haruno."

"Thank you, sir," Sakura tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "That means quite a lot coming from you."

"It would be true not matter who said it," his eyes twinkled merrily. "I know a thing or two about your teacher – I feel quite confident in saying that whatever success you currently enjoy, it is the result of tireless effort and dedication. Would you not agree, Neji?"

"How could anyone not?"

Sakura shot him a sweet smile as Master Sarutobi took a long draw from his pipe and exhaled happily.

"I am thankful that Lady Hyūga thought to invite an old man such as myself to accompany her on her visit this new hospital – it is quite a stunning facility. You and Neji here have been working at this for – what – six? Eight months now?"

"It was a year ago that Dr. Haruno kindly agreed to step in as acting chief medic until we got the hospital well under way," Neji answered smoothly. "We have both traveled back and forth to Konoha since then, but she has spent the last six months in Suna."

"As my roommate never lets me forget," Sakura grinned. "By the time I get back to Konoha, my side of the apartment might very well be a greenhouse."

"I don't know that I would put anything past Ms. Yamanaka," the old man chuckled warmly. "She has a singular determination in all things. Ah, Yori. Did you escort Lady Hyūga back to her room?"

Yori gave a single nod.

"Was she alright?" Sakura asked, concerned. "Sounds like your flight caught part of that storm system that is moving across from here to the Land of Fire. Even a few hours later and the flight would've been canceled."

Yori murmured something, but either the ambient noise of the cheerful restaurant, or the high collar of his med-nin uniform prevented her from understanding him.

"He says she was simply fatigued. If she is unwell in the morning, we will postpone the tour."

"I doubt that will be necessary," Neji's lips tilted into something reminiscent of a smile. "Hinata is exceedingly fond of you, Master Sarutobi. I doubt anything less grave than mortal illness would prevent her from keeping her appointment tomorrow."

"Just as you say," he smiled kindly. "Well then," he lifted his glass. "To your excellent work, Dr. Haruno, to your foresight, Neji, and to Hinata's good health."

"Cheers," they chorused, and spun the rest of the evening away in good will and laughter.

* * *

 **11:25 PM KST  
** **Konoha, Hyūga Residence**

Hyūga Hanabi sat on the edge of her bed, her mobile pressed to her ear, her words rapid and earnest with concern.

"But are you feeling alright? I know how you hate to fly, and to be caught in this storm! Kō has been glued to the weather channel and watching the radar since the minute your flight took off."

" _I'm fine, Hanabi_ ," Hinata laughed gently. " _Just a little tired from the journey_."

"Just a little tired," Hanabi repeated, clearly unconvinced.

" _Well, I can't say my opinion on flying has changed_ ," she admitted ruefully. " _But I can say that both Neji and I will be back in time for your birthday._ "

"Maybe my newest set of bruises will have healed by then," she muttered. "I bet Neji will figure out my new techniques from studying their pattern or something equally as annoying and prodigy-like. I have to get in the last of this round of special training before he comes home."

" _Perhaps it is a good thing he has been back and forth to Suna so much_ ," Hinata's voice held the promise of a smile.

"I wish that Tokuma was back from his mission. Then I could really put some of my strategies to the test. Have we heard anything from him?"

" _Not yet_ ," Hinata sighed. " _But he said he would try to be back for the Solstice and your ceremony_."

"Do you ever wonder what it would be like to just have normal birthdays?" Hanabi laid back on her bed, curling on her side with a favorite pillow.

" _Sometimes_."

"I don't mind, really," Hanabi stared up at her ceiling, "But it can be a little...daunting."

" _I'd venture that this particular birthday's customs are daunting by anyone's standards,"_ Hinata said dryly. " _But I am certain you will be exceptional, just the same."_

Hanabi's smile was gentle.

"Thanks, Sis. Get some sleep, okay? I can practically hear the yawns you probably meditated out of your voice."

" _Alright,_ " her chuckle was good-natured. " _You, too."_

"Love you, Hinata."

" _I love you, too, Hanabi."_

* * *

 **11:37 PM KST  
** **Konoha, Hyūga Residence**

The storm showed no signs of letting up. Hyūga Hiashi flicked his eyes out of the large window and then back to his paperwork with little interest. He had several things to finish before he could rest this evening.

The Hyūga family owned one of the two largest medical research corporations in the Allied Shinobi Nations. Their research hospital was the best in the Land of Fire, and the one they'd recently acquired in Suna was rapidly becoming just as recognized.

The only company that could rival Hyūga Enterprises was Uchiha Industries. The latest issue of Konoha CEO laid on his desk, open to the article touting the genius of the head of UI: the enigmatic and elusive Uchiha Sasuke.

He sat back, his elbows on the arm rests of his chair, rolling a pen between the first three fingers of both hands.

The article glossed over the circumstances precipitating Sasuke's premature inheritance, although that year the papers had been full of the news that Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto had been found murdered, ostensibly at the hands of their son Itachi.

Uchiha Sasuke, the second son, and widely considered to be the last of his clan, inherited the entire company. It had been held in trust for him until he could finish his education, but Sasuke had made quite a name for himself in the short years that he had been in charge, and Uchiha Industries was as solvent as ever.

Hiashi leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling. There was mutual respect between Hyūga Enterprises and Uchiha Industries, but there was no love there. They were competition – healthy competition, but competition nonetheless.

He found his gaze resting on the same photo it so often did. He reached for the frame, absently, taking in the details he had long ago committed to permanent memory. The photo itself was unremarkable, if not endearing; a kind looking woman with shining dark hair held a bundle of a baby, while a small girl looked shyly to the camera between the woman and himself. He allowed his finger to trace the curve of her cheek.

It had been a long time since her illness had taken her from their lives.

His focus trailed to the small girl in the middle. She was so like the woman in the picture - so like her mother.

Hiashi sighed deeply.

He was not an unkind man, but he was the leader of his clan and his business – and neither position afforded him the luxury of weakness or indecision. He had long known that his elder daughter did not have the disposition to lead in a cutthroat business world. She was far too kind and gentle, and would be bullied and undercut and shut out before she even began. No. The business would go to Hanabi when the time came.

That wasn't to say that Hinata wasn't an heiress in her own right. She assumed her mother's role as Clan Mother, and would continue in that role even after her sister became the heir.

Still, he wanted to be certain she was taken care of. Protected. And to Hyūga Hiashi, that meant Hinata should marry.

And Hiashi was considering Uchiha Sasuke as a candidate – something he had once proposed to his wife, who surprised him by emphatically disagreeing.

" _Imagine what that could mean for the families if our companies combined,"_ he had argued.

_"Imagine what that could mean for your daughter if she was forced to do something only for her family's company."_

That had been the line that had won her argument, followed by the gentle admonishment of " _She deserves better than that, Hiashi."_

Hiashi couldn't agree more: Hinata deserved the best. She deserved everything. The companies aside, he saw multiple reasons the match would be beneficial to both parties.

As an Uchiha, Sasuke shared their world of traditions and societal obligations. He would understand how to navigate the social complexities and would undoubtedly allow Hinata to continue on in her clan position. Moreover, his wife would be expected to become the Uchiha Clan Mother. Hinata was very likely the only person in Konoha with the experience to revive that position effectively.

Then there was the matter of their individual wealth. As the only member remaining of his family, he could only benefit from having a wife with no need of his fortune, and their respective legacies could pass on to the next generation untouched. Ironically, as both had inheritances, both parties could be certain that neither party was seeking marriage simply for financial gain.

However, Hiashi's most important reason was astonishingly simplisic.

In their own way, they were both alone.

The Uchiha had lost all family and inherited all of the obligations. He did not participate socially, and was distanced from the other Noble Clans.

Conversely, Hinata had extensive family as well as a bevy of obligations, but those closest to her – her sister and her cousin – also had their own duties to perform.

The role of a Clan Mother demanded constant consideration of others – something that came to Hinata with preternatural ease.

And because of that, she would never be a priority – she would never allow herself to be.

Hiashi was incredibly proud of his daughter; it just wasn't his way to say such things.

He had to show her by making sure she was cared for.

The knock on his door was respectfully muted.

"Come in."

"Sorry to bother you," Kō bowed politely. "But we just heard from Neji. Lady Hyūga has retired for the evening, and is fatigued but well."

"Thank you, Kō. That will be all."

Kō exited as unobtrusively as he entered, leaving Hiashi to watch between the rivulets of water running down the window as the storm streaked across the Konoha skies.

Silence settled thickly over the room, filling the spaces between doubts and obligations, until all that remained were the concerns of a father for his elder child.

His wife continued to gaze quietly from the picture frame now reflected in the thick glass and darkening skies.

"I'm sorry," he closed his eyes, his voice heavy and resigned. "But I think I need to consider my original idea again. You understand. Things have changed, now. It will be for the best." It was some moments later before he tucked his concerns back in the corners of his heart, and allowed the rest of the world to reenter his reality.

He worked that night as he did every night – until he was certain he was too tired to dream – before surrendering to peaceful oblivion of sleep.

* * *

 **9:31 PM Suna Time/12:32 AM KST  
** **Suna, Trigram Apartments**

Assured that Master Sarutobi's chauffer knew where to take him and his medic, Neji and Sakura bid the former ASF director a good evening, and headed home.

"Thanks for walking me home," Sakura pulled her key out of her pocket.

"Hardly a trouble, considering your current apartment is two floors below mine."

"Well, then thank you for sharing your walk home to our hospital subsidized housing."

Neji's smile was small and fond.

"You are welcome. Will we see you during the tour tomorrow?"

"Should be an admin-only day," she nodded. "I've backed off to let the staff run the hospital while I am there to help them. Hinata said that she wanted to be there early to take a look at the medicinal gardens. Do you think that is still the case?"

"I am sure that it is."

"Good – I can't wait to see her face when she sees how much everything has grown!"

"I am sure that she will be very pleased." His eyes traveled over her face, and when it appeared that he might say something else, he simply rested a hand on her shoulder and said:

"Get some rest."

"Thanks," she smiled. "I think I will."

And by rest, she decided to treat herself to a rare bubble bath.

The storms had just reached Suna by the time she slid into her bath with a contented sigh. She scooped up a handful of bubbles and blew them into the air, playfully.

_She could hear his deep, sedate laughter as she blew bubbles in the park. "What," she asked, green eyes sparkling as she adjusted her seat on the picnic blanket. "Didn't you like doing this as a kid? Think of it as inner-child therapy." She chirped as she dipped the bubble wand back into the bottle for another round._

_Arms reached around her and held her wrists as she moved. Arms that brought their faces closer together as he peered over her shoulder from his seat on the blanket, and positioned her to lean against his chest. Arms that brought the wand just next to her cheek so he could blow the bubbles into the lazy wind. She looked at him over her shoulder and stared into his endless ebony eyes and his trademark smirk._

" _Not bad," he said quietly – almost too quietly to be heard over her thumping heart. She swallowed nervously as their faces inched closer together, bodies turning to face one another. Absently, she noted he smoothly took the bubble paraphernalia from her hands and guided them to clasp behind his neck before kissing her tenderly, his own hand at her waist._

Her eyes snapped open. Where did  _that_  come from?!

She squeezed her eyes shut, took a deep breath and sank under the water and bubbles, letting the warmth wash over her until her pulse rang deafeningly in her ears. She stayed until her lungs burned with the need to breathe, focusing only on calming her heartbeat.

When she rose out of the water, she brushed the bubbles, soap, and tears from her eyes. He was gone, now. He had been for a long time. She had almost returned to Suna permanently after graduation, but at the last minute accepted a job working for his competitor. The chance of seeing him anywhere other than the tabloids was slim to none. She just had to keep reminding herself that she was over it all – that she had moved on.

If she kept saying it, she might even begin to believe it.

She sank into the bath water, determined to relax. Nothing – not even the memory of Uchiha Sasuke was going to take this rare moment of rest from her. She owed herself that much, at the very least.

She made it a whole fifteen seconds before sighing in resignation. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath and slipped into the familiar meditation.

Sakura let the warmth of the bath and the cadence of her pulse take her far, far away until the memories faded and her heart was at peace.

* * *

 **Saturday, March 21st 2:04 AM ST/5:04 KST  
** **Suna, The Kazekage Palace**

The hours between sunset and sunrise can be bitingly cold in the desert – something that had long deterred any kind of serious nightlife in Suna. All resources were conserved here, and the city lights had largely given way to the vast sea of stars overhead.

The assassin considered himself lucky that there was no moon, as it would have seriously hampered his efforts. Not that his target would be an easy one, regardless of the phase of the moon or the light in the sky; but there was a reason he had been sent rather than one of the others.

With a few more concealment jutsus, he was ready.

In a few more hours, he would be finished here.

And the Kazekage would be dead.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To anyone that might recognize this work from FFN, you may notice a few key changes.
> 
> There is a reason I usually write the beginnings to my stories last. When I began this story, I initially intended for Konoha to be a city in our modern world, with no ties to the canon universe. This story has evolved greatly over the last two years, as did my AU. That is the problem with work that is both serially written and published. I felt it was important to make the initial chapters consistent with the style and characterization that I worked so hard to establish.
> 
> I will post previews/update information/etc via my tumblr (Giada-Luna).
> 
> As always, I thank you for reading.
> 
> With a grateful heart,
> 
> -Giada


	2. After the Rain

_Still deciding on a day for weekly updates; will let you know when I figure it out._

* * *

**You Must Believe in Spring  
Chapter Two: After the Rain**

* * *

**Saturday, March 21st Suna, 5:42 AM ST/8:42 KST  
** **Suna, Hyūga Hospital – Suna Branch**

Sakura relied on the instincts honed by years of training, and about four different alarms to get her to work the next morning. Despite the early hour, she was only marginally surprised to see a familiar silhouette on the other side of the indoor medicinal garden.

"I thought I might find you here."

Hinata turned, startled, eyes wide and apologetic.

"I hope I am not disrupting anything – I got plenty of sleep, and am used to being up early, so-"

"Stop," Sakura waved her apology aside, and wrapped her in a friendly hug. "It is so good to see you."

Hinata's smile was - as all things Hinata were – gentle.

"Good to see you, too. Ino sends her love."

"And her demands that I return home, immediately?"

Hinata shrugged with a grin.

"She really misses you."

"And I miss her," Sakura smiled. "But the hospital has come such a long way in such a short time – I don't think I could've been nearly as effective if I had stayed in Konoha or tried to go back and forth like Neji does."

"You have done amazing things," Hinata beamed. "Just look at the gardens!"

Pride justly swelled under Sakura's heart. "The gardeners took everything you recommended to heart. And look," she motioned for her to follow, pulling her to step outside. "We created a garden from the native Suna plants as well. Hard to believe there are so many that aren't cacti!"

Hinata's laugh was lighter than air.

"Who would've guessed?"

"Not me, that's for sure," Sakura looped an arm around Hinata's as they walked back into the hospital. "At least not until Lady Chiyo made me study pages upon pages of that sort of thing – antidotes and the like. Have you eaten?"

"A little," Hinata dipped her head. "I'm not really one for breakfast."

"Are you still one for tea?"

"Well, I am a Hyūga."

Sakura laughed and lead Hinata to her office, enjoying her company immensely. They had just contemplated a second cup of tea when the door to her office flew open.

"Dr. Haruno!"

"Matsuri?" Sakura blinked. "What is wrong?"

"There was an attack – somebody tried to kill Lord Gaara!"

Sakura and Hinata were both instantly on their feet.

"Where is he?"

"He's back at the Kazekage residence," she hurried. "He fought the attacker off, but Lord Kankurō went after him, and when he didn't come back, Lady Temari went to fetch him, and –"

"And where are they now, Matsuri," Sakura interrupted, her voice even and sure.

"That's just it. Lady Temari just arrived with Kankurō – he's in a very bad way – and says it's poison!"

"Where are they?"

"OR-2."

Sakura looked at the clock. "My team isn't ready for this yet. We'll have to round up some people"

"Can I help?"

Matsuri blinked at Hinata.

"I'm sorry, Lady Hyūga," she bowed quickly. "I didn't see you there."

"Your Byakugan might come in handy," Sakura jammed her arms into her white coat before tossing an identical one to Hinata. "Congratulations, Hinata – you've just been promoted!"

* * *

**6:16 AM ST/9:16 AM KST  
** **Suna, Hyūga Hospital – Suna Branch**

They had barely made it down to the OR when a familiar voice cut through the air.

"Where the hell did she go? Konoha? MATSURI!"

Temari rounded the corner looking like she was running on no sleep and fighting phantoms.

"Sakura! Hinata! Finally, someone competent!"

Sakura motioned for her to follow into the prep area of the operating room. She glanced at Hinata.

"Remember how to scrub in?"

"It's been a while," she pulled her hair back, "but I think I'll manage."

"Excellent. Nurse," she motioned to the scared woman trying to blend into the sterile wall behind them. "Help her. Now. Temari. What happened?"

"Someone attacked Gaara," Temari said bitterly, her face etched in worry "My idiot of a brother insisted on going after the person alone and got himself poisoned."

"When was this?"

"Around two in the morning. Maybe three. Once I realized what had happened, I went after him. I saw something near him, so I attacked with my fan, but no one was there when I arrived. Carried him back halfway before the rest of the team caught up," she muttered. "Useless."

"Sakura," Hinata put gentle fingers on her arm. "Do you think Temari could wait this out in one of the rooms on the seventh floor? Maybe Q-4?"

"Q-4?" the nurse blinked, "But that's-"

"Yes," Sakura interrupted. "Temari, I am sorry, but I have to ask you to follow my nurse. As soon as I know anything, I will send word. Nurse – please find an appropriate room to accommodate our guest."

The nurse nodded, standing taller in the face of clear need, and Temari graciously accepted her dismissal.

"Take good care of him," she flicked her eyes to the prone figure on the other side of the swinging doors. "He's a pain in the ass, but he's still my brother."

Sakura waited until she was sure Kankurō was sedated and her young nurses were assembled before turning to Hinata.

"What did you see?"

"His chakra network is being attacked and disrupted," she said quietly, her Byakugan activated. "I can make out clusters of a foreign chakra signature - some kind of pathogen or parasite, perhaps. Whatever it is, it is digesting and processing his chakra."

"And Temari?"

"She has similar hints of the foreign chakra, but they didn't appear to be processing her chakra as aggressively."

"So, you asked that she be quarantined. Clever," Sakura ran a glowing palm over Kankurō. "If it is a true pathogen, she might have been exposed but not affected. It could also be that her chakra isn't as conducive to the pathogen. Or," she grimaced at Hinata, "it just hasn't started yet."

Sakura shook off her trepidation and squared her shoulders.

"I'll take care of the poison and you mind his chakra network. Let me know the minute you see anything unusual."

They worked together with an uncanny synchronicity, considering it had been quite some time since Hinata had worked in an OR setting, and had never worked with Sakura in that capacity.

Using her Byakugan to monitor Kankurō's chakra pathways as Sakura worked, Hinata quietly hovered a glowing green palm near the site of the poison extraction, stimulating the muscles to release the toxin.

Sakura nodded her approval and thanks, even as they continued to work largely in silence.

The next hour flew by for them both as Sakura used a highly specialized jutsu to both force the poison out of Kankurō's system and preserve it for analysis. Sakura gave the order for one of the nurses to fetch Neji as she extracted the last of the toxin.

"There is extensive muscle damage," Hinata murmured.

"It's the toxin," Sakura frowned. "It is destroying the muscle at the cellular level. I've seen this kind of damage from poisons refined with heavy metals, or from venom, but never from a pathogen."

"I can't determine if the pathogen is still generating the toxin," Hinata scanned the length of the patient, "but it is still actively digesting chakra."

Sakura grimaced behind her surgical mask, turning as Neji walked in, properly attired in protective clothing.

She waved him over and explained the situation, watching as his Byakugan flared and then receded.

"He is stabilized for now," Sakura said, "but I can't do much more. If I repair the muscle tissue and it is reintroduced to the toxin too quickly, I might not be able to repair it a second time. I estimate we have about a two to four hour window before the toxin builds back in his system."

"What are your orders?"

"I have to either counteract the pathogen or the toxin. I can't just keep extracting it; it is too taxing on all of us, and I can't repair any damage without risking irreversible damage."

"How do we counter them?"

"I'll know better after I analyze the toxin – but I can't do that here. I need to get our samples back to Konoha. Really," she looked down to Kankurō, who was grimacing in his sleep. "I need to get him to Lady Tsunade."

"The storm system should've moved on enough to let us fly," Neji nodded once. "I'll have them prepare a life flight from the helipad."

"One more thing," Sakura glanced at the time. "I need Hinata to scan Temari and anyone else that might've come into contact with Kankurō. We may have to quarantine the others."

"I can do it. Show me what to look for."

Hinata explained quickly, and in moments, Neji was gone to both carry out his orders as well as to order the sealing and flight teams to prepare for immediate departure.

Assured that none of the nurses had been contaminated, Sakura and Hinata dismissed them until the emergency transport team came for Kankurō. Once he had been secured, they hurried to join him.

"Well," Sakura sighed as she and Hinata strapped into their seats "looks like Ino is going to get her way after all."

The smile they shared was bittersweet – as was the taste of the word "home" on the back of her tongue.

* * *

**9:16 AM KST  
** **Konoha, Hyūga Hospital – Main Branch**

Tsunade had been doing routine paperwork when Gaara alerted her that Temari had taken Kankurō to the Hyūga hospital in Suna to be treated by her protégé. She had immediately contacted Neji, who assured her he would make any and all information available to her as it became available to him. He alerted her when the emergency flight left Suna, and she was finalizing her preparations for their arrival. Shizune was a noted expert in poisons, and was already pouring over several scrolls, trying to piece together a possible antidote file - thus far to no success.

Shizune paused, quickly touching a finger to her earpiece. "They will be here in ten minutes. A medic is going to meet them at the helipad and bring the samples of the toxin directly to the lab."

"You said toxin," Tsunade looked up sharply. "Not poison."

"It appears that what we thought was poison is a toxic byproduct of the infecting organism; or perhaps the organism itself was designed to release this toxin, and just happens to feed on chakra networks to their detriment. Either way, the pathogen is still present in both. Temari does not yet show any symptoms of being affected."

Tsunade frowned.

"Then how do we know she has been infected before we run the diagnostics?"

"Hinata was checking Kankurō's chakra network when she noticed Temari had the beginnings of a similar disturbance, albeit in the very early stages."

"Hinata did?"

Shizune nodded.

"Hm." Tsunade paused to consider. Hinata's chakra control, like most of the Hyūga's, was exceptional. However, she was uniquely perceptive to subtleties that escaped even highly trained medical-nin. "She has good eyes."

"And a good memory," Shizune added, reaching for another scroll. "You can ask her just about anything about those plants of the Hyūga's, or where to find something in the clan archives."

"She'd have to, to be able negotiate all of the Hyūga formalities," Tsunade scoffed. "Those old farts in the clan council have entirely too much time on their hands."

Shizune hid a smile – well aware that the "old fart" Tsunade had in mind was Hinata's Grandfather, Elder Hyūga, who  _definitely_  had more opinions than obligations.

"Hinata does not fly well," Tsunade stood, closing her files. "Anxiety. After you help me prep the OR in the quarantined area, I want you to meet them at the helipad. Make sure she is alright."

"Should she go home?"

"She should," Tsunade allowed, "but she can't. Sakura already made it clear that she needs her, and Hinata won't leave a friend in need. I am counting on you to make sure she is stable before we risk subjecting her to more stressors."

Tsunade waited a beat before adding. "Mind her heart. Her mother had problems that presented later in life, and Hinata has been identified as being at risk."

When Shizune led Sakura and Hinata into the OR, did as bidden, she gave Tsunade the slightest of nods over their heads. Assured that she would not have two patients in the OR instead of one, Tsunade wasted no time getting to work.

"Ladies," she nodded to each. "Good to have you. Now shall we see what kind of mess this little scamp has gotten himself into this time? Sakura. Hinata. Show me what you have found."

The women exchanged a quick glance before Sakura took a deep breath.

"It all started this morning..."

* * *

**9:27 AM KST  
** **Konoha, Hyūga Hospital – Security Office 3**

Hyūga Neji had arrived at work to the news that his cousin and best doctor were in the middle of trying to save the life of the brother and bodyguard of the Kazekage. He'd since had to scan anyone that had come into contact with Kankurō for chakra disturbances (only Temari appeared to be affected), ordered the emergency transportation of said brother and bodyguard of the Kazekage to Konoha where Sakura could better treat him and analyze the poison, (and arranged for his cousin to go with them, as Sakura required her help) and just managed to get everything he needed to get for Tsunade in time to join them on the flight.

All in all, he'd had better mornings.

He stopped in his office on the civilian side of the hospital just long enough to gather what he needed before slipping back out again and making his way to the security room monitoring the quarantined area.

Once inside, however, he found perhaps the last person in the world he expected to see on the civilian side of the hospital if not admitted as a patient.

"Tenten," he flicked a glance over her, dubiously. "Are you lost?"

"Nice to see you, too, Neji," she stood with arms crossed, and eyes on the various monitors. "What do we hear about the med crew from Suna?"

"All clear," one of the techs leaned back to report, sitting straighter when he saw Neji. "Dr. Haruno and Lady Hyūga detected no threat. They have been released to return to Suna as soon as Lady Tsunade gives her approval."

"And Kankurō? Temari?"

"Dr. Haruno lists Kankurō as having stabilized, but is still in critical condition. Temari is showing no symptoms, but is remaining in quarantine until Dr. Haruno or Lady Tsunade say otherwise."

"Good," she gave a sharp nod. "Keep me posted," she tapped her earpiece then turned to Neji. "A word?"

He followed her from the main security room to the adjoining office, where she walked behind the desk and sat down, logging onto the workstation.

She nodded to the chair across from her.

"Have a seat."

He closed the door and sat down, eyeing her suspiciously.

"I suppose it would be too much to hope that you are unarmed?"

"Of course I'm armed," she snorted, eyes scanning across the screen. "I'm here on security detail, per Lady Tsunade, who – by the way – asked for you to make your way to the other side of things as soon as you are able. But first," she reached into the desk and pulled a file, "Genma asked me to get you up to speed."

"On?"

"We've had intel indicating there is an increased interest in Hinata and Hanabi as of late."

"Unsurprising, seeing as Hanabi comes of age as the heir this year," Neji ventured.

"True. That isn't so unusual. It is the intel re: a renewed and widespread interest in dōjutsu users in general, and the Byakugan specifically that is troubling. With Hinata's unexpected return to Konoha, I've been assigned to her security detail."

"And Hanabi?"

She slid him the folder, "This is the agent he feels is best suited to the case."

"Sarutobi Konohamaru?" Neji arched an eyebrow. "Biggest-brat-in-Konoha-Naruto's-number-one-fan-who-almost-got-thrown-out-of-the-academy-for-trying-to-get-out-of-a-test-via-sexy-jutsu Sarutobi Konohamaru?"

"No," her grin was slow. "Best-in-his-class-third-year-KU-student-no-longer-six-years-old Konohamaru. And we both know that Ebisu is a closet perv, and had that coming."

Neji's frown deepened.

"I heard he is involved in Konoha House."

"You object to his being in the university's honors program and its affiliated dorm?"

"No," he scoffed, "I object to his being a party to the system in place that essentially turns an on-campus base into a frat house."

"Think of it as maintaining a cover," she shrugged. "Who would suspect that the party-loving-frat-boy is actually a deadly agent in disguise, assigned to protect the enigmatic Hyūga heir?"

"The fact that those rags use the word "enigmatic" to describe Hanabi is proof that they've never met her."

"Fair point," her smile flashed mischief.

"How will this fit in with your duties?"

"Probably rather well," she ventured. "As I am betting that Hinata will be a registered agent by the end of the day."

"Impossible. She has immunity."

"From forced enlistment. Not recruitment."

Neji looked over the top of the file. "Tsunade is planning on recruiting Hinata?"

"She's making an offer to both her and Sakura."

A thick silence settled in the office while Neji worked a muscle in his jaw. Naturally, Hinata was aware of their organization - and had been on some level since that first kidnapping attempt when she was three years old - but both her father and Neji had worked hard to limit her involvement.

"We need her, Neji," Tenten said quietly.

"Precisely," he snorted. "And what does Hinata do any time that something is needed of her?"

"Is it the same thing her stubborn cousin always does?"

"Hn."

"You know…," a smile crept into her voice that made him instantly wary. "This could be good for Hinata. I mean – she is always so bogged down by her Clan Mother duties. She might even find a few new friends – or better yet, a boyfriend!"

"Congratulations," he said flatly, flipping the file closed. "You managed to make it worse."

"Glad I could help," she smiled, watching him gather his things, her chin in her hand.

"I'd better wrap up things on this end of the hospital. Clearly I will be busier today than I thought."

"Lot of that going around," she looked him over. "Hey… Neji?"

He paused and raised one eyebrow to her – clearly not trusting her to not make fun of the situation.

"You of all people know how important it is to have the room make and stand by your own choices. I get that you're not pleased, but talk to her about all of this before you get yourself all worked up, okay? She's going to need us, too."

Neji's sighed and gave a single nod.

"Fine."

I'll keep an eye on everything here," she nodded to the smaller security monitors on the office wall, "and let you know if anything changes."

"Do that," he reached for the door. "And while you are at it, try to resist skewering anyone while you are here. The paperwork for that kind of thing is staggering."

Tenten rolled her eyes. "You take down  _one_  guy in a hospital, and they never let you live it down." It was Neji's turn to smirk.

"No," he assured her, "we won't."

* * *

**10:53 AM KST  
** **Konoha, Hyūga Hospital - 'The Small Office'**

Dr. Haruno Sakura loved her job. She loved getting up every morning to be somewhere she was needed, and had worked tirelessly to earn her well-deserved reputation. She had always been an excellent student in the academic sense, but her direction and determination had crystallized all of those years ago when she woke up to find herself left behind. Again.

" _You can't help me," he had told her, his back rigid, his eyes on a target too distant to see. "You'll only slow me down."_

Those words replayed in her mind countless times as she undertook her grueling training with Tsunade. They echoed in her ears as she punished her body, draining it of chakra and depriving it of rest. They stuck in the very core of her being, and were the wound that kept healing only to reopen time and time again. Eventually, she gave up trying to heal and just decided to forge ahead, certain in the knowledge that the only cure she needed was time and distance. She wasn't going to sit around and wait to one day wake up fine. She was going to run at the head of the pack, and give everyone else a good look at her back.

It was that tireless determination that had raised her to be recognized as the most promising medical-nin in the Allied Shinobi Nations, renowned for her quick mind, her analytical skills, and her ingenuity.

She and Hinata were sitting in what was officially the office reserved for the Hyūga Clan Mother, but was lovingly referred to by the hospital staff as the "Small Office."

Hinata's mother had been a familiar and well-loved presence at the Hyūga hospital, coming by at least once a week to visit, often with her elder daughter in tow. She headed the Hyūga medicinal gardens, and liaised with the R&D department, but she also did quite a bit to interconnect all levels of staff. She often visited patients, checked in with families, and provided assistance (sometimes financially, and then always anonymously) where it was needed.

Hinata had long been instated as Clan Mother when Sakura joined the hospital staff, and welcomed her as a colleague and friend. They had several classes together at Konoha University, as Hinata had studied as a medic-nin with a focus on homeopathic medicine and remedies. She was fully instated as a nurse and had stepped in to help at the hospital on more than one occasion – but her clan obligations prevented her from taking on a permanent position with the medical staff.

"Here," Hinata said gently, handing her a steaming mug of tea. "Drink this."

"Is this another Hinata original?"

"It is a blend I made from our gardens. I thought you might need it after the morning you've had so far."

"The morning  _we've_  had," Sakura corrected. "And it's not over yet." She took a long sip of the hot liquid, inhaling the subtle fragrance.

"I checked Kankurō on my way over," Hinata offered. "His chakra network is still disrupted, but it appears that the clusters of the pathogen are smaller and less actively processing his chakra. Temari's network does not appear to have changed from when I first saw her this morning."

"That is good," Sakura murmured, turning the puzzle over, and over again in her nimble mind. "We should probably quarantine them both for twenty-four hours just in case."

"Mm," Hinata hummed into her cup. "Any word from the labs yet?"

"No, not yet. Soon, though."

They sat for the space of several restorative sips of tea

"I really appreciate your help today," Sakura continued. "If you hadn't been there, we wouldn't have known about the pathogen until Kankurō's bloodwork came back."

"Were any of the others affected?"

"No," Sakura shook her head. "Temari encountered Kankurō first, and traveled quite a way with him before intercepting the others. If I had to guess, the pathogen had been either airborne or required contact within a specific window of time."

"Strange that this person did not use the specific attack on Gaara," Hinata mused.

"Maybe he didn't get the chance," Sakura drummed her fingers on her leg – a clear sign she was thinking.

Her train of thought was interrupted by the sharp rap at the door, followed by Hinata's soft, "Come in."

The door had barely opened before Sakura was on her feet and pulled into a huge hug.

"Geez, Ino," Tenten leaned against the doorframe. "Let the girl breathe."

"What the hell, Forehead," Ino pulled back, still holding tightly onto Sakura's arms. "You can't visit like a normal person? You have to arrive by helicopter during a medical emergency?"

"I missed you, too," Sakura grinned at her roommate and best friend.

"How about you," Tenten looked over to Hinata. "You doing alright?"

"A little tired," Hinata admitted, "But I am well. Would either of you care for a cup of tea?" she motioned to the electric kettle on the counter behind her.

"Unfortunately, we don't have time for one," Tenten gave an apologetic smile. "Lady Tsunade asked that you be brought to her office."

"Just let me get my things," Sakura broke away and gathered the messenger bag she'd hastily thrown together before leaving Suna. "I have some notes, and other files on my laptop that might be helpful."

"Bring anything you think you might need for the next few hours," Tenten flicked a look to the clock. "Lady Tsunade said she wanted to go to the labs after your meeting. Here," she handed Hinata what looked like a short fat pen. "Shino asked that you have that vaccine before coming down to the labs."

Hinata recognized it as the kind of syringe used by field medics to deliver antidotes and antitoxins. She deftly rolled up her sleeve and delivered the vaccine into the top of her arm without question.

In moments, Hinata had locked the small office, and they were stepping into one of the smaller staff-only elevators that connected the administrative offices of the hospital.

Tenten slipped her ID card into the slot below the illuminated numbers and keyed in her code.

The elevator went below the lowest marked level, and opened to an abandoned parking garage. There were no placards – only the dirt outlines of where some might have been on the wall and cement poles.

Sakura peered into the dim light, but there was literally nothing to see.

"They closed this garage off after they renovated the hospital, right?"

Tenten gave a small smile. "More like repurposed. Hey," she pressed her security earbud. "I've got Tsunade's next appointment with me."

Sakura looked at Ino, eyebrows raised.

"Did Tsunade move offices while I was away?"

Ino's smile tipped into something almost regretful.

"Not exactly."

"We got the all-clear, Ino," Tenten said, motioning them forward.

They took a few steps before the familiar sizzle of a barrier passed over their skin. Musty concrete gave way to the brightly lit waiting area for a highspeed underground shuttle.

The air pressure shifted as the shuttle arrived, the glass doors parting to allow them entrance. A guard stepped out to stand sentinel as they boarded - a porcelain mask over his face, a curved tattoo bright on his upper arm

"Oh," Sakura exhaled. " _That_  office."

"Dr. Haruno, Lady Hyūga," his voice was muffled behind his mask. "This way, please."

As Sakura and Hinata stepped onto the shuttle and the doors closed behind them, they shared a glance.

They were officially on a train to nowhere.

Because to the rest of the world, ANBU didn't exist.

* * *

**11:41 AM KST  
** **Konoha, ANBU base - Tsunade's Office**

The Allied Shinobi Force was forged in the fires of the Fourth Shinobi War, fought and won generations ago. The leaders of what history books would later call the Allied Shinobi Nations were wise enough to know that without a common enemy, the bonds holding the alliance in place were tenuous at best, and would be tested by aftermath of war.

Thus, the Allied Shinobi Force transitioned from an army to an international task force intended to keep the balance of power between the Five Great Nations and the smaller independent lands under their care. Each of the Five Great Nations had a keystone, physical division of the ASF that employed civilians and shinobi alike, all working toward strengthening and maintaining the new-found peace.

However, the leaders and elders of the Five Great Nations knew that the ASF alone wouldn't be able to police those that wanted to disrupt the tenuous bonds between nations. They created ANBU; a secret division specializing in intelligence and counterterrorism, comprised of individuals from multiple nations stationed throughout the territories. It was the silent arm of the ASF that discovered and dispatched threats too dark and shadowed to face in the light of day.

Very few non-members were even aware that ANBU existed, but both Hinata and Sakura were exceptions to that rule. Hinata's position as Clan Mother to one of the oldest, most established, and powerful clans in the Land of Fire meant she had to be able to handle the clan's affairs, even if the leader or heir were not present. Sakura had worked on ANBU level research, and been privy to its existence since her time with Lady Chiyo, and more intimately so after the attack on Gaara's life when they were teenagers.

Neither could say they were surprised when Tsunade extended the invitation to join.

"Is the situation that serious?" Sakura asked quietly.

"Unfortunately, yes," she sighed. "I had hoped to avoid this, truly I did. Hinata," she looked over to her. "From the time you were sixteen, your father asked specifically that you not be considered for ANBU - that we honor your immunity as the Clan Mother. I understand if you do not wish to accept."

"I am loyal to my village, Lady Tsunade," Hinata shook her head. "And my immunity is mine to ignore. I will join."

Tsunade turned to Sakura. "And you?"

"I've always been willing," Sakura considered her mentor. "But my village affiliation is still Suna. I'd have to get permission from my superiors."

Tsunade's smile was faint.

"Considering you are coming on board to help treat the Kazekage's brother, I doubt there would be an objection – but even so, you have been approved for quite some time. Frankly, it was my hope that neither of you would be needed. Sadly, that is no longer the case. Our intelligence shows that this threat is classified under our biological warfare and counter-terrorism divisions. I'm sorry, Sakura. Hinata. But we need you both."

Sakura drummed her fingers on her crossed arms.

"I'm guessing Shino works under the ASF and ANBU? Like Ino does?"

"Yes," Shizune nodded.

"Good," she glanced down at the files Tsunade was reading. "Because I am going to need his expertise if I am going to crack that toxin. Do you think he is done with my lab results?"

"Let's go find out." Tsunade stood, leading them down to the laboratories. She did not bother to alert him of their arrival (luckily Shizune had let him know) and strode in directly, the others following in her wake.

"How's the mad scientist today?" Ino asked innocently, her eyes trailing over the long work bench with several microscopes, test tubes, and requisite bubbling vials of liquid coiling through distillation tubes.

"That is an inaccurate question, in addition to not being that funny," Shino stated. "Why? That is because, I am neither a mad scientist, nor are you interested in my personal well-being. Rather, I am a researcher and entomologist specializing in the pathology of infectious diseases, and you want to know what my relevant findings are."

Sakura cleared her throat (it might have been poorly hidden laugh), interrupting before Ino could retaliate.

"Good to be working with you again, Shino. Please, tell me what we are dealing with."

Shino nodded. "It seems that we are indeed looking at a bioengineered pathogen," he motioned to the microscope. "It is a simple organism that has been designed to produce this specific toxin when exposed to the refined chakra flow of a trained shinobi. It feeds off of the chakra and creates the toxin."

"How did it get in Kankurō?"

Shino indicated another microscope. "It appears it was an airborne pathogen with a limited lifespan. The organisms affecting Temari must have been breathed in while she transported Kankurō, but only a few of the inhaled pathogens were viable. They appear to already be dead within her system."

Sakura listened, thoughtfully. "So, an airborne pathogen targeting and feeding off of an advanced chakra system. Any modification to the surface receptor molecules?"

Shino might've smiled at her hypothesis - or he might have done absolutely nothing. It was hard to say.

"No. This pathogen was designed to feed once it interacted with a well-developed and strong chakra network. It is not seeking out specific genetic markers."

"So, it isn't why Hinata needed a vaccine. It isn't targeting Kekkei genkai?"

Shino looked to Tsunade for a second before answering. "There appear to be some pathogens that target that particular attribute – but this isn't one of them."

"Have we analyzed the toxin?"

"Hai," Shino brought up a 3-D projection of a detailed analysis of the poison and its molecular structure.

Sakura sucked in sharply. "Lady Chiyo."

Tsunade shook her head, "This isn't one of hers."

"No," Sakura agreed, "It isn't. But I've seen this poison analysis in her research."

Shino pulled up another two projections. "This appears to be the antidote," he noted. "And this," he nodded "is a list of the Suna plants that would have been needed to create it."

"Why Suna plants?" Shizune asked.

"The originator of the poison must have been from Suna," Shino explained. "Why? That is because, if you look closely, there is a single naturally formed compound found only in a specific cacti variation. The antidote requires the same compound. That is how I determined the origin of the poison as well as the most likely components."

Sakura nodded. "Very impressive, Shino. Lady Chiyo actually used this compound as a case study when I began working with her."

Tsunade frowned.

"Was it a well-known study?"

Sakura remained focused on the 3-D image. "Just the opposite. I had to sign about a million pages of confidentiality agreements as well as listen to daily threats about how if I broke the agreements she could poison me and no one would be able to trace it. I can't imagine that Chiyo would have let that research be public; I'd be willing to bet the only record of it is in her sealed archives at the Kazekage residence."

"Do we need to order those records to make the antidote?"

"No," Sakura shook her head. "Shino got it right. Ino," she turned to her friend. "Do we have these plants in the R&D center?"

Ino looked over the list. "Some of them," she nodded. "I have to check on the cacti. We should have several pre-extracted samples from cacti in the lab. We simply can't reproduce all of the optimal conditions for those kinds of plants, and they often have to be full grown before you can extract those components in any usable quantity."

Hinata also looked at the list. "I think we have those, Ino," she offered. "We got shipment in from the Suna gardens last week, and I am almost certain those varieties were on there."

"Excellent," Tsunade interjected. "Now, Shino. The pathogen itself; you said it has a very short lifespan – is it your opinion that we do not need to treat this with an antibiotic?"

Shino nodded "Ah. The poison is so potent, the engineer must have been counting on the microbe being able to introduce a critical and fatal level before it could be killed off. The design isn't perfect. Not only does the pathogen become non-viable if left without a host chakra network, the poison itself is actually toxic to it. The good news is that once the poison reaches the optimal level to incapacitate the victim, the pathogen can't sustain itself. The bad news is that the poison has to reach that high of a level to eliminate the problem."

"Not as long as we have an antidote," Sakura nodded to the third projection. "We just have to let the infection run its course while keeping the toxin level down in the system. Next question," she looked to Shino and those around her. "Why Kankurō?"

"He was hunting down the person who tried to assassinate Gaara," Ino offered.

Sakura shook her head. "It's like Hinata and I were discussing; if the attacker wanted to get Gaara, seems to me it could've been done pretty easily with an airborne pathogen. Lady Chiyo is gone now; chances are the poison would've gone unrecognized and untreated. Looks more like they lured Kankurō away, and infected him with a pathogen that generates a potent but slow acting toxin. It doesn't add up."

Everyone was very still, mouths slightly agape. Ino turned to Tsunade, "And she wasn't working with us before now, because why?" she arched an eyebrow.

Sakura met her teacher's approving look with one of determination and smiled. She was pretty sure she was going to like working here.

* * *

**10:36 PM KST  
** **Konoha, Huyga Hospital**

The breakthrough might've come earlier rather than later, but the work still had to be done.

Shizune and one of the Hyūga medics took over for Sakura and Hinata, carefully monitoring his response to the antidote and other treatments.

"Keep his chakra flow suppressed," Sakura said, trying to hide her yawn. "That should limit the pathogenic activity."

"We know," Shizune tsked. "The two of you get out of here, alright? It's long past when both of you should've been home and asleep."

Sakura was too tired to disagree – but she would've mustered the energy had she not been certain that Kankuro was in the clear. Tsunade had agreed to stay, and Sakura would return early in the morning.

They stumbled back into the 'Small Office,' where both Ino and Neji were waiting.

Hinata looked Sakura over.

"Are you sure it is alright if we go home? I am happy to stay tonight and assist however I can."

"No," Sakura shook her head sleepily. "Shizune and Lady Tsunade are more than capable, and we both need rest."

"Both of you get ready," Neji handed them their coats. "I'll be back for all three of you momentarily."

He discreetly disappeared while the women gathered their things.

Sakura looked at her roommate. "Walked today?"

"Yeah. Can't say I'm opposed to a ride home now, though," she stretched. "I called over to Chōji. Food will be waiting for us when we get home."

"Thank goodness," Sakura's grin was wan. "I'm exhausted and starved. Not a good combination."

Their conversation was minimal on the ride home, and Neji got out of the car to let them both out.

"I'd see you to the door," he started apologetically, "but –"

"Stay with Hinata," Sakura put a hand on his arm. "Ino and I are fine."

His smile was small but fond.

"Get some rest. Both of you."

He kissed Sakura's forehead, and waited until they were safely in their apartment before driving away.

Ino made sure Sakura was well fed before shooing her into the shower. By the time she was done, her roommate had put fresh sheets on her bed, and a cup of her favorite tea on the night stand.

"You're the best," Sakura sank onto her bed with a happy sigh.

"Remember that when I insist on being filled in tomorrow," Ino snorted pointedly.

"Fine, fine," Sakura yawned, waving her away. "Tomorrow."

Ino shook her head as she closed Sakura's door, knowing she'd be asleep before her head hit the pillow.

"Welcome back, Forehead," she murmured, a sad wistful smile on her lips.

Her phone chirped with alerts.

_'New photos! Uchiha Sasuke spotted in Yugakure! Konoha's most eligible bachelor seen travelling alone – or was he? Back to Konoha, or on to more fun in the sun?'_

Ino grimaced and glanced at Sakura's door.

Tsunade hadn't given her clearance to discuss everything with her yet… but certain topics were going to be hard to avoid.

"Later," she murmured to herself. "It can wait one more day."

* * *

**Sunday, March 22nd, 8:20 AM KST  
** **Konoha, Huyga Hospital – Quarantine Room 125**

Temari was, as a rule, an early riser who snapped to wakefulness with the same brisk efficiency that characterized everything else she did. It was surreal to drift from sleep to a suspended, disassociated state, her mind lagging behind her senses by a few moments. She knew she wasn't at home, but it took a moment to register the ceiling and surroundings for what they were: a hospital room.

It was another moment before she decided she was in a Hyūga hospital and she must be in Konoha because nothing in the room held the bite of wind – a scent and a sense that permeated all things in Suna.

It was perhaps two more moments before she sensed another presence, and made out the figure draped across the tiniest of tiny loveseats and covered in a thin hospital blanket.

She stared, waiting for her mind to catch up interpret the sight, even as two intelligent eyes dark in the dim light and darker with worry met her own.

Her eyebrows knitted together, and she willed her mind to work.

"You're supposed to be with General Mifune."

"I was," he answered easily, his voice rough with sleep, but clear. "When he got word about the attack, he asked if I'd be willing to go to Konoha and report back to the council if the incident merited its attention."

"But you were in the Land of Iron…"

Shikamaru shrugged.

"Nothing a military helicopter couldn't handle. I didn't get in until quite late – you were already asleep by then. It's a drag, but I volunteered for security."

"Does Tsunade know you were sleeping on the job?"

"Not sure," he shrugged again. "She was probably counting on my shadow jutsus to keep me alerted."

"Does that mean I'm not contagious?"

"Seems that way. Shino didn't find any traces of active pathogens or toxins in your bloodwork, and Hinata didn't see anything."

"What about Kankurō?"

"Not in the best of shape," he admitted, "but as of five this morning he was toxin and pathogen free."

"What time is it now?"

"Probably about eight. Five your time, which is probably why you woke up." He looked her over. "You should get more sleep, you know – Tsunade didn't want you waking before nine. Your time."

"Can't," she pushed to sitting. "Lots to do."

Shikamaru stood, stretched, and yawned widely.

"You Sand Siblings are as troublesome as ever."

"How am I troublesome?" Temari muttered darkly. "I'm not the idiot that went after an unknown assailant and ended up being nearly killed by some superbug that makes a toxin that only Sakura could figure out. I only ended up in Konoha and spending the night in quarantine in an induced sleep because Kankurō has the impulse control of a three-year-old near too much candy."

"Mm," he sank onto the edge of the bed, resting his hands on his thighs. "Can't really argue there."

She watched him carefully as she asked, "How is he?"

"Sore. Groggy," he allowed, "but expected to make a full recovery. Sakura and Shino worked all day on an antidote, and Sakura was confident enough to go ahead with healing the muscle damage done. She and Lady Tsunade and Shizune all took shifts; he's been downgraded from critical care to recovery. He was too fragile to put into a medically induced sleep before, but Lady Tsunade says he's stable enough now and it will speed his recovery. He'll be moved to the ANBU side of the hospital tomorrow."

"And the others?"

"No one but the two of you showed any sign of exposure. Gaara is safe, and there have been no reports of other attacks. The assailant appears to have either been working alone, or was the only person sent for the job. Kankurō won't be released to return to Suna for a few days. Gaara ok'd you to stay on in Konoha on protection detail as a liaison to the Kazekage."

"So, I have to stay in the hospital?"

"No. Other arrangements have been made."

She watched quietly as his larger hand reached over and covered her own. She allowed herself a moment before sighing heavily and letting her fingers twine with his.

"Guess I might as well get a little more rest, then," she murmured.

"Probably not a bad idea. Shove over."

She blinked up at him, all of her still moving too slowly to do much more than make room so he could stretch out on top of the covers and fold his hands behind his head.

"Aren't the quarantine rooms monitored by video surveillance?"

"Turned it off. Not needed when an agent is on active duty."

"Even if he is sleeping on active duty?"

"Temari," he met her eyes with a tired, exasperated smile. "Get some sleep."

She saw it then – the weariness around his eyes, and the shadows below them that spoke of worry, fatigue, and little sleep.

Without another word, she shifted under her blanket (it didn't matter if she was inside; she was always colder in Konoha) and curled into his side as he wrapped an arm around her.

Sleep was closer than she thought; her eyelids sank closed as she gave a small sigh of relieved content.

"I missed you."

"Hn," he hummed. "Like I said," he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Troublesome."

* * *

_* Room 125 after eps 125 where Temari saved Shikomaru._

_Thank you for reading, friends! - GL_


	3. Interlude

_Notes at end_

* * *

**You Must Believe in Spring  
Chapter Three: Interlude**

* * *

**Monday, March 23rd, 6:22 AM KST  
Konoha, Hokage Outlook Apartments #1108**

The mess on the floor, the empty boxes of food all over the counters and table, the laundry indiscriminately strewn about the apartment – it was a black and white photo and a toll-free number away from being an official national disaster. The man grimaced as he picked his way across the room until he spotted his target sleeping with the same reckless abandon as he lived – mouth open, arms flung behind his head, and odd-cartoony-character-hat perched on his messy blonde hair.

He sighed. Why did he agree to this, exactly?

He took a chopstick from a nearby bowl and reached over to poke the sleeping man. When that resulted in the haphazard slapping away of the chopstick, he lost patience and shoved it up the idiot's nose. One good snore-snort and Naruto shot upright in confusion, chopstick dangling from his nostril.

"What the hell…?" he asked, fishing the utensil out of his nose. "What gives, Sai?" He tried to ask angrily, but was interrupted by a yawn.

"It appears alarms, yelling, and prodding with a chair didn't work," he motioned to the alarm clock that had been thrown against the wall, the red mark on his cheek, and the broken chair in the corner. "So I resorted to an unconventional method," he smiled his large, fake smile. "You are very hard to wake up. Much like your penis."

Naruto's eyebrow twitched as he tried to keep from hitting Sai. There were only so many people left who were willing to make sure he was awake for things in the first place; he couldn't afford to lose one of them...not even Sai

"Of course, it makes sense that you would be hard to arouse if you have nothing to arouse." Sai continued logically. "Which also explains why you do not have a girlfriend, although this," he gestured to the red-cross-intervention-pending disaster around them, "might have something to do with it. Perhaps you had a girlfriend and you lost her in this mess. That would certainly explain the smell –"

Sai grimaced at the blow to the head before eyeing a seriously irritated Naruto. "Well at least you are up," he muttered.

"Baka!" Naruto shot over his shoulder as he ran to his shower. "You're as bad as Sasuke-teme."

Sai was not sure whether to be pleased or distressed by this comparison. On one hand, he knew Naruto and Sasuke had a close friendship, and he wanted to be better friends with the energetic, orange-loving knucklehead. On the other hand, that had not sounded like a complimentary comparison, and he might have just been insulted. The sound of water burst from down the hall where, presumably, Naruto was now rushing to get ready. Sai checked the time. It had been a good idea to re-set all of the clocks in this place last time he was here. They weren't nearly as late as they could've been – although as he looked down at the smashed alarm clock at his feet, this was Naruto they were talking about. It was too early to celebrate.

Much to Sai's surprise, it was mere minutes before Naruto emerged dressed in jeans, a black underarmor shirt and a bright and orange jacket with black piping.

"Well at least we will be able to see you coming," Sai fake smiled as he opened the door, "which is more than I can say for any girl you –"

"Shut it, Sai."

* * *

**7:00 AM KST  
Konoha, ANBU base – Interrogations Division**

Sakura was sitting opposite Yamanaka Inoichi - the man she had known her whole life as the father of her best friend - who she just learned was a leading figure in the intelligence and interrogation units of ANBU.

"No wonder we never got away with anything as kids," she muttered.

"You were good kids," he flipped through her file with a sympathetic chuckle. "We never had to interfere too much."

Sakura sighed and leaned back in her chair. "So, if I understand correctly, you are going to use a jutsu known only to your clan to go flipping through my memories to make sure that I am psychologically fit to be a member of ANBU."

"That is about it, yes."

Sakura continued to stare up at the ceiling. "And you can pretty much see everything that my mind has recorded?"

"Yes."

"Then I hope you like medical textbooks; I spent the better part of the last decade cramming them into my skull." She transferred her gaze from a fascinating speck on the ceiling to the face of her friend's dad. "Ino can do this too, can't she?"

"This particular jutsu is not one she uses. I am guessing you are about to ask me why you and my daughter seem to be able to 'get inside each other's heads,' am I right?"

Sakura's eyes widened.

"No," he put his hands up with another soft chuckle. "I didn't just go snooping through your thoughts. I am an expert in reading body language and I've known you most of your life."

He took a moment to fold his hands in front of him in a gesture she didn't know was so familiar until he did it.

"Remember who your friends are," he said, holding her gaze steadily. "Remember the relationships you have and hang on to them tightly. These will pull you through more than any training or jutsu you might learn here."

His sincerity startled her, and for a moment she saw the kindness of a father reaching out to a daughter, not a higher up advising a new hire. She saw the encouragement there - the same expression he'd given her when he'd assured her she'd do well in Suna, and he said the same thing to her now that he said then.

"We're already proud of you, Sakura. You can do this."

She swallowed the prick of tears at the back of her throat, and shook her head with a small huff of a laugh. How many times had those words had replayed in her mind when she was nearing the end of her patience or her strength? How many times had they pushed her forward when she was certain she didn't have anything left to give? She grinned crookedly up at him.

"Yes, sir."

Her last thought before his jutsu slipped over her was at once hopeful and determined

" _I'm won't be left behind. Never again."_

* * *

**7:20 AM KST  
Konoha, Uchiha Industries – Conference Room 7**

Kakashi walked into the meeting room at Uchiha Industries, and was met with looks from three different agents in varying shades and degrees of annoyance, exasperation, and acceptance.

"Only twenty minutes late," Sai noted. "You are improving."

Kakashi shrugged and took a seat at the table. "Did you read the file I of sent each you?"

"Yes," Sai said promptly, while Sasuke nodded, and Naruto mumbled behind a mouthful of something snagged from the buffet of food just behind them.

Kakashi arched an eyebrow at Naruto.

"What?" he frowned defensively. "I read it – Teme went on a business trip to inspect one of his company's labs in Land of Frost because some blank cells went missing."

Kakashi held his stare.

"Okay, fine," Naruto speared another chunk of food. "I skimmed it."

"Your summary is inadequate and unsatisfying," Sai smiled, "Like your-"

"Insult less, sum up more," Naruto interrupted.

Sai looked to Kakashi, who gave a nonchalant shrug. "Go ahead."

"Alright," Sai sat up straighter. "For starters, Sasuke didn't go to just any lab. The genetic engineers on staff at that facility are, according to the report, among the most advanced in researching non-viable pathogens for the treatment of disease. They developed what is essentially the equivalent of stem cells for bacterial and viral treatments - pathogens turned blank slates for DNA treatments. Naturally, when a sample of a breakthrough innovation is reported missing – presumably stolen – it's worth investigating."

"Why?" Naruto scoffed. "What is wrong with a few missing germs that can't even get you sick?"

Kakashi did well not to smile.

"These particular 'germs' as you call them are designed to be manipulated. In short, you could use them to treat an illness or cause one. There is a strong likelihood that this incident is connected to the recent attacks on shinobi and Kekkei genkai."

Sai cocked his head to the side. "Strange that I've never heard of Sasuke having to go to this particular facility before now. It isn't the main UI facility in the Land of Frost – and from what I can tell it isn't actually in Shimogakure."

"You're right. It isn't a main UI facility. In fact, it isn't a UI facility at all. It is an ANBU outpost and research center. Sasuke lets us list it under UI for the sake of a paper trail, and to deflect suspicion. It is isolated outside of Shimogakure to eliminate civilian interaction."

Naruto's face scrunched in confusion. "Shimogakure is pretty isolated as it is," he scratched the side of his head. "Why bother having an outpost outside of Shimogakure? Is there anything even in the Land of Frost outside of Shimogakure?"

Sai stiffened. "Two villages are nearby. Yugakure," he held up one finger, "and Otogakure."

Naruto sat bolt upright, not at the first location – Yugakure had long ago turned away from its shinobi roots was not a threat. But Otogakure…

"No," his words were hard, with an edged finality. "We shut them down – there is no way that they are back up and running."

Kakashi's expression remained unchanged.

"There have been several disturbances lately that warranted our attention, so a team was deployed to investigate. When we lost contact with the team, Sasuke was sent to check in. His ties to the company make his travels and presence in the Land of Frost – and even a visit to the Land of Steam - the least suspicious, allowing him cover to proceed to Oto."

"Why not send him in the first place? Teme here is the best person to send sniffing around for anything Sound related - "

"I'm an Uchiha," Sasuke glowered. "Not an Inuzuka."

" – even the old farts on the council don't hate him as much anymore!" Naruto continued, ignoring him. "Who else could you possibly send?"

"The team was captained by Mitarashi Anko."

Naruto's eyes widened, and this time even Sai had no trouble interpreting his reaction. Anko had gleefully terrorized his class during their first Chūnin exams. There wasn't a time Naruto worked with her that he a) didn't think she was still as scary as hell b) was secretly relieved she was on their side. Kakashi never could bring himself to correct Naruto's opinion of Anko, as it was well founded.

"She led an infiltration and reconnaissance team into the Otogakure area two months ago," Kakashi folded his hands over the report. "Her last communication was three weeks ago."

"Who was on the team?" Sai asked.

Kakashi ticked the members off on his fingers. "Aburame Muta, Hyūga Tokuma, and Ranka."

Naruto's eyes went wider.

"Tokuma, the go-between between the Hyūga and ANBU? That is the mission that he left for a while back?"

"The word you are looking for is liaison," Sai offered.

"But those are some seriously experienced agents," Naruto ignored his teammate. "Why are we worried that we haven't heard from them in just three weeks? If they did infiltrate somewhere, maybe they can't communicate with us easily."

Kakashi drummed his fingers on the table. "There were some… extenuating circumstances that raised suspicions here. That isn't the relevant part of the mission for this discussion."

Naruto looked up at Sasuke, "Did you find them?"

Sasuke crossed his arms before answering. "We aren't sure."

Naruto looked at him, confused. "How can you not be sure if you found a bug user, a white-eyed sensory type, a squinty eyed shinobi, and a psychopathic-dango-obsessed kunoichi?"

"Because they haven't finished the autopsy."

Naruto's face immediately became something far more serious.

"It was a recovery mission."

"It became one."

"There's more," Kakashi continued. "There is a chance that this is tied into the recent attack on the Kazekage."

"On Gaara?" Naruto sat up quickly. "Where? When – is he alright? Is-"

"Suna, Saturday, and yes" Kakashi interrupted. "It was a largely an unsuccessful attempt. Kankurō pursued the attacker and was poisoned. He was flown in Saturday, and spent a long twenty-four hours in quarantine, but is currently in recovery."

"In quarantine?" Sai frowned. "From poison?"

"It is being classified as a biological attack."

"And did they use those germs that Sasuke was pretending to look for?" Naruto frowned.

"Possibly," Kakashi allowed, folding his hands. "According to Shino, we are seeing a rise in pathogenic attacks on shinobi. Furthermore, several of our operatives have been hit with some aggressive poisons that appear to be the result of bioengineered pathogens – Kankurō being the most recent and by far the most severe case."

Kakashi pointed a remote at the center of the conference table, and a holographic image appeared, floated, and rotated– a genetic profile and enlarged images of the pathogens under the microscope.

"It appears that these organisms have been genetically modified to target the advanced chakra systems of shinobi," Several partitions of the rotating DNA helix and structures on the surface of the pathogen were highlighted in quick succession. "This allows them to be introduced indiscriminately over the civilian population and still eliminate a shinobi target. There is evidence that some are being modified to be air or water borne. Further research shows that some of the DNA of these organisms has been altered to allow them to target and attach to specific DNA markers."

"What kind of DNA markers?" Sai asked.

"The ones for Kekkei genkai. Specifically, the Byakugan and Sharingan."

"So, they are after you two and the Hyūgas?" Naruto waved a finger between Kakashi and Sasuke.

Sasuke shrugged.

"Seems that way."

"Did you know about this before now?"

"I'd heard rumors."

"And you didn't think to mention them?"

Sasuke shrugged again.

"Well, I guess you being a jerk isn't so surprising," he muttered, crossing his arms. "But Gaara?" – he looked to Kakashi – "Why didn't Gaara tell me he'd been attacked?"

"By the time he was in a position to tell you or anyone else, the incident had been classified as top secret. Lady Tsunade asked that we notify our individual teams per ANBU protocol."

"Then why didn't she say anything sooner?" Naruto grumbled. "I would've checked in on Kankurō for him, or at least have joined the security team."

"You couldn't have checked on him," Sai interjected cheerfully. "He was in quarantine, remember? Or do you not know what that word means?"

"Kankurō was in good hands," Kakashi spoke before Naruto could start on Sai. "Which leads me to my next point," he pressed the remote again. "Due to recent developments and the severity of this situation, two integral members of the Hyūga Hospital have been asked to join ANBU on a permanent basis."

Two profiles flicked up side-by-side, the pictures labeled 'Haruno Sakura' and 'Hyūga Hinata.'

Naruto's eyes went immediately to Sasuke, but he remained focused on the images while Kakashi continued narrating.

"Dr. Haruno is the acting head at the Hyūga Hospital in Suna, but has agreed to return to Konoha for the duration of this assignment. Lady Hyūga is the current Hyūga Clan Mother and certified med-nin. Both were both instrumental in not only treating Kankurō, but in analyzing and devising the antidote. Dr. Haruno will be heading the research, and Lady Hyūga has agreed to be a member of her team."

"Will they be full agents?" Naruto asked, a frown etched between his brows. "Like, expected to go on missions and field duty rotations?"

"They will be fully instated as Agents with all of the rights and benefits therein, but their orders will pertain strictly to their assignment as we currently know it to be."

"That is a rather quick induction," Sai commented idly. "Usually there are months of investigations, and committees and evaluations before even alerting the candidates to ANBU's existence."

"Special circumstances," Kakashi raised one shoulder. "Dr. Haruno is Lady Tsuande's apprentice, and Lady Hyūga has had cause to interact with ANBU on behalf of her clan. Their psych evals are today. Which reminds me - although both of the candidates were aware of ANBU before this, they are not familiar with our entire roster. Lady Tsunade asked that any social introductions wait until after the combat evaluations."

"That is a shame," Sai frowned. "I have heard much of this Dr. Haruno. I had hoped to meet her."

Naruto flicked glance at Sasuke. "Maybe another day, Sai."

"Well, if she is joining ANBU, I am sure there will be other opportunities," he shrugged. "The two of you know her, don't you?"

"Is that all?"

Sasuke stood, his fingertips pressing into the table until they were white.

"Because if this meeting is over, I have a full work day ahead of me."

"That is all the news I have for now," Kakashi allowed.

"Fine," Sasuke gathered his things quickly, and tossed out his trash. "Finish the food," he gave a cursory nod to the tables. His hand was at the door when Naruto blurted.

"Training. First thing tomorrow."

Sasuke gave a single nod, and disappeared.

Naruto gave a heavy sigh.

Sai looked between them all.

"Did I miss something?"

"Yeah," Naruto's smile was tight. "I'm going to go check on Sakura."

"Is that wise?" Sai questioned. "Lady Tsunade specifically ordered –"

"We will catch up with you later."

With a single nod, Naruto left the room.

"Figured it would come to this," Kakashi pulled out a scroll. "I need to fill you in on a few things, Sai, and I need you to pay close attention. We don't need another agent in critical care."

Completely bemused, Sai nodded, his mind still half on his teammates, and the strange turn their attitudes had taken.

* * *

**9:06 AM KST  
Konoha: Hyūga Hospital – Quarrantine Room 126**

Despite the upheaval of recent events, Hyūga Neji still had a hospital to run.

Kankurō had just been cleared to leave quarantine, and a team of Tsunade's medics were transporting him to the ANBU side of the hospital for rehabilitation and observation.

When he finally coded his way into Kankurō's secure room, he had about a nanosecond between hearing "Duck!" and hearing a senbon go whizzing past his ear.

Neji turned just in time to see it hit, completing a perfect outline of the Konoha shinobi symbol, next to a similarly constructed Suna symbol on the wall.

Tenten waved unapologetically to Neji. "'Bout time you got here," she left her perch on the arm of the chair next to Kankurō's bed, standing and stretching her arms above her head with a sigh. "Kankurō and I were getting bored." The Suna shinobi gave a dry grunt of what was probably laughter tempered by his extremely weakened state.

Neji crossed the room and looked down at Kankurō. "How are you feeling?"

"Like hell," he answered truthfully. His face was devoid of his Kabuki make-up and he looked haggard. "Where is Temari? Is she alright?"

Tenten rolled her eyes. "Maybe he'll believe  _you_ ," she crossed her arms. "I told him multiple times that she is fine."

Neji nodded. "She is fine. And," he turned to Tenten, "you are here because…?"

"As a favor to Temari," she grinned. "She showed up to escort Kankurō, but Tsunade didn't want her back in this section of the hospital, purely as a precaution. So, we made a swap."

"A swap?"

"I'm making sure Kankurō is alright, and Temari is hanging around while Hinata begins her psych evals."

Neji was spared a response, as the ANBU medical team arrived.

"Surveillance feed is on loop," the head medic informed him. "We have three minutes to get to the shuttles."

"See," Tenten put a reassuring hand on Kankurō's shoulder. "Told you it wouldn't be much longer. Let's get you to where your sister can see you."

She stepped back as the medical-nin began to prepare to move Kankurō.

"I believe," Neji pried a senbon from the wall, "that these belong to you?"

"Oh yeah," she grinned crookedly. "I almost forgot."

She spun a string of chakra between the weapons and pried them all out at once before returning them to her scroll.

"That's a new trick," Neji eyed the scroll as she tucked it away.

"Something I picked up a while back," she shrugged.

"Still needs work," Kankurō rasped.

"True," her lips quirked in a wry smile. "When you look a bit less like death warmed over, we can work on it."

"Deal."

"We're ready," the medic released the brake on the gurney.

"Then let's get to Temari before she gives Shikamaru a harder time than usual. You coming, Neji?"

"No," he shook his head. "I have to clear up a few things on this side of things before I collect Hinata from Ibiki."

"I'm switching back with Temari, so I'll see you there."

She peered at him.

"You okay?"

"I'll be better when today is over. I am expecting to have to ban Uzumaki from the hospital once he realizes Sakura is back in town."

"Sounds about right."

He shrugged.

"Just one more thing to deal with."

"Well, make sure in "dealing with it" you try and keep from maiming Naruto. Take it from me - incident reports aren't any more fun to fill out on the ANBU side of things."

A small smile tugged at Neji's lips.

"Noted."

* * *

**2:06 PM KST  
Konoha ANBU Base – Interrogations Division**

The short nights and long days were beginning to take their toll on Hinata. The heavy door to Ibiki's office clicked shut with a resonating finality, punctuated by her weary exhale. She leaned her back against the door, wrapped her thick gray cardigan around herself, closed her eyes, and took a deep, cleansing breath.

The medical and psych evaluations had gone rather smoothly, probably because so much of her life was already neatly documented in the file that followed her to the desk of each interviewing ANBU agent.

She smiled to herself, wryly.

For being such a private person, it would seem she had no secrets here.

It wasn't anything new to her, really. Growing up as a Hyūga – and the daughter of the headman at that – meant that her life had always been open to the public eye.

Despite the comprehensive documentation, her life hadn't been particularly exceptional.

She had gone through both her clan's and the academy's training.  
She had been assigned under Yuhi Kurenai as a genin.  
She had been teamed with Kiba and Shino from the time she was twelve, and had been considered for the tracking/search and rescue division of the ASF.  
She had continued her clan's training, even when her father would not work with her directly unless Hanabi or Neji needed a sparring partner.  
She spent her time quietly building her friendships while trying to find her own small place in the sun.

That had been when her mother was alive.

After her mother was gone, she had to take on a whole new world of responsibilities and challenges. She shelved her own life and channeled her grief into supporting her father, her sister, her cousin, and her clan.

The paradigm shift from sixteen-year-old daughter to the role of clan-mother was drastic, but she was not wholly unprepared. Knowing Hanabi would take over as the heir, her mother had always included her elder daughter in her own affairs, and had done more so long before she let on how sick she was to her family.

The day her mother died, Hinata quietly packed up the life she had known and tucked it away in place of the life that would be.

She was later able to attend KU, but lived at home and rarely had time outside of studying and clan duties to socialize with her friends.

Hyūga Hinata had lived a life that could be neatly and succinctly cataloged and put into manila file folder of moderate size on Morino Ibiki's desk. A life that generated a file of a girth commensurate with the length of time it had been recorded, not the expanse of material it covered. In twenty-five years, her life was so unobjectionably uneventful that her security clearance was granted in record time.

That is what flitted through her mind in the few seconds she gave herself to collect her thoughts against the door of Ibiki's office.

"Better go find Neji," she murmured, rubbing her temples with eyes closed, wincing at the headache forming behind her eyes.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Yes, thank you, I-"

She lifted her eyes, but her words stuck in her throat as she found herself looking straight into the bluest eyes she had ever seen in her life. Blinking twice, she stared dumbstruck as her heart raced, waiting for her mind to catch up with the recognition that seemed to be forming in the back of her consciousness. The warm chakra signature washed over her, and her eyes widened slightly as the context clues finally fell into place in her mind and opened up memories long since buried.

"Naruto?"

"Hinata?" he smiled brightly. "Is that you?! Man, I haven't seen you since - Oh, shit!"

The last part was blurted hastily as he lunged forward and grabbed the tops of her arms before she could slide to a heap on the floor.

"Hey, are you ok?" he asked, concerned, stepping in to support her against the door. With nowhere to go, her face flushed, her head swimming, and her eyes down cast, she tried to nod and form a response.

"Yes..I … just dizzy…Ibiki said I'd be…"

Naruto leaned forward, "I didn't catch that," he said, angling his ear closer to her face. "What did Ibiki say?"

"Uzumaki!" the voice was muffled by the heavy door at her back, "Why is your chakra lurking outside of my office?!" Ibiki yanked open the door, and barely jumped out of the way of the two bodies that went tumbling to the floor. "What the-?!" He looked up for an explanation – just in time for Neji and Tenten to the corner and stop abruptly at the sight.

For a moment, the three agents could do nothing but stare at the prostrate couple; Ibiki and Tenten in exasperated amusement, and Neji in dawning mortification.

Neji opened his mouth, vitriol clearly pooling on his tongue, but Tenten put a hand on his arm.

"Remember. Paperwork."

He shot her a venomous look before kicking the bottom of Naruto's shoe.

"Get off of her, Uzumaki."

Naruto's cheeks were warm as he gingerly negotiated rolling off the angry Hyūga's cousin. "Sorry," he came to sitting. "You okay, Hinata?" he nudged her. "Hinata…?" He looked down to find the girl was unconscious. Leaning over her and shaking her shoulder lightly, he repeated "Hinata?"

Nothing.

Apparently, he hadn't been able to brace the impact fast enough, so while his fall had been broken by Hinata, her fall had been broken by the floor.

Tenten dropped down to her side, purposely putting herself between Neji and Naruto as she checked over Hinata.

"So, you're a medic too, now?" Naruto joked.

"Not even close," she snorted, gently turning Hinata's head to the side and feeling under her hair. "But I am on a team that regularly beats the crap out of each other." She winced. "She has a decent bump on the back of her head. Can't tell if she has a concussion."

"Take her down to the infirmary," Ibiki directed. "Standard protocol for any reaction following a psych eval." He crossed his arms over his massive chest, "Although I don't think any protocol can account for you, Naruto."

"Y-yeah," he rubbed the back of his neck with a nervous laugh. "Number one unpredictable ninja – that's me."

"Grab her, Naruto," Tenten stood. "Neji, do you want to go ahead and alert the infirmary? Tsunade said something about putting the girls in an overnight restorative sleep; looks like we upped her schedule."

Neji eyed Naruto angrily, but gave a single sharp nod.

"Stay with her," he directed. "Don't let this idiot do anything else stupid."

"Tall order," Tenten shrugged. "But I like a good challenge."

Neji flashed away, leaving Naruto and Tenten to exhale their own sighs of relief.

Ibiki shook his head.

"Hell of a way to welcome the newest recruit, Uzumaki." He closed his door, leaving Tenten and Naruto to make their way to the infirmary.

"So," Tenten side-eyed Naruto, "guess you didn't get the 'forgo unnecessary introductions to the new recruits' memo?"

"I was looking for Sakura," he muttered, carefully adjusting Hinata in his arms.

"She is still in her evals," she checked her phone, flicking through updates. "She's a genjutsu type so those take longer."

"Why was Baa-chan going to put them to sleep?"

"We have got to work on your phrasing," she muttered. "The short version of the story is that they had to go through really intense evaluation in short amounts of time, and that can be very jarring. Those kinds of evals require overnight observation, and the mind copes better with the process if the body is asleep."

Naruto looked down at Hinata, worried.

"Are they okay?"

"They're both exhausted," Tenten admitted. "They've barely stopped since Saturday. I'm guessing part of this is to force them to get rest before their combat evals."

Naruto's eyes widened.

"They'll have those?"

"Have to," Tenten shrugged.

"Wow," he looked at Hinata again. "Isn't Hinata big in her clan now? Clan-Mother, or whatever? How will that work?"

"Guess we'll find out," she opened the infirmary door for him.

Naruto entered, and stuttered to a stop.

"Naruto," Tsunade folded her arms across her chest, and raked a look over him and the unconscious Hyūga. "I see you've been busy."

"Very," Neji's voice was smooth and his eyes glinted smugly. "I'm sure he'd love to fill you in on it all. Tenten?" he nodded to the door. "Shall we?"

Neji swept past, leaving Tenten to follow after giving Naruto a half 'sorry!' shrug.

Their last glimpse of Naruto was of him swallowing hard, holding Hinata protectively and offering Tsunade a shaky smile.

"Heeeeey, Baa-chan. What's up?"

"Well," Tenten watched the door close behind them. "If she kills him, the morgue isn't that far away."

"He'll live," Neji grunted. "Tsunade doesn't like paperwork any more than you do."

"Guess I grew up to be like my hero after all," she grinned.

Neji's smile was small but amused. "I suppose so."

* * *

**7:45 PM KST  
Konoha ANBU Base - Morgue**

Tsunade would never admit it, but she was grateful that Naruto being Naruto brought some amusement into an otherwise grim day.

It had been late last night when Uchiha Sasuke arrived at her office, fresh from his mission to hand over the kind of scroll nobody wanted to see. Used by the sealing corps to store and transport the bodies of the fallen – usually those with a valuable Kekkei genkai – they were a macabre rarity in her world. Every ANBU agent knew to leave no trace of their own bodies, should they fall in battle. The fact that there was anything to transport back was grimly telling.

Tsunade set her jaw and strode through the heavy double doors to find Yūgao preparing the scroll while several medic-nin stood by. Tsunade nodded to the woman before stepping back to oversee the preparations. She looked sadly at what was before her. Four seals - each placed on a different examining table, and released by the medic-nins. The bodies summoned were disfigured and burned; extensive testing would be required. Tsunade went from station to station, casting an expert and critical eye over each corpse.

"When was the last time we heard from Anko," she asked over her shoulder.

"Three weeks ago," Yūgao said, eyes sweeping over the bodies. "But there was suspicion that the last transmission wasn't actually from Anko."

Tsunade was aware of this, but the bodies didn't make sense to her. "These bodies have been dead longer than that," she crossed her arms. "I want a full autopsy. Find out who these people are, and how they died."

She flipped through the charts of the missing team. They had the means to identify the dead at ANBU, but protocol demanded that members of certain families like the Aburames and Hyūgas be notified and a clan representative sent to make a formal verification. Shino would be authorized to identify any of his clan's dead, as well as run a cross scan on any insect matter to make sure there was no mistake. She absently flipped to Tokuma's file.

"Is this a mistake?" motioned to the clipboard.

Yūgao shook her head. "Those were his wishes specifically. It has been a long time since anyone invoked the right to request the Clan Mother."

"Did the give a reason?"

"No. But he did leave this," she took a scroll out, "to be given to Lady Hyūga in the event his body was recovered."

Tsunade recognized chakra seal; chances were only Hinata would be able to open it and message could only be read by the Byakugan.

Yūgao shrugged. "It wasn't like Tokuma to make special requests. He must have had a very good reason."

Tsunade handed back the scroll.

"It had better have been an excellent reason."

* * *

**Wednesday, March 24th 12:01 AM KST  
Konoha ANBU base/Infirmary**

Naruto watched the recovery area covertly, straining strained to hear the conversation between two of the medical-nin on duty.

"…and Naruto is not allowed in the recovery wing until we hear from Tsunade."

"When will their sleep end?"

"Lady Tsunade set the jutsu to lift sometime after 9:00 AM. Usually they are twenty-four hours, but apparently she put both patients into extremely deep sleeps."

"Seems unusual, doesn't it?"

"Lady Tsunade gave the order, so there must be good reason."

They went about their business, leaving Naruto to wait until the hall was empty to steal back to the recovery area.

He found Hinata first, her long hair in a loose braid over her shoulder, the shadow of her lashes dark against her pale skin. Her breathing was almost unnaturally slow, and the lulls of silence between the quiet blips of her heartrate were far longer than normal. He watched the slow progression of waves glide across the screen.

"Wow," he looked from the screen back to her. "They must've really knocked you out." He winced. "Speaking of knocked out," he rubbed the back of his neck. He heaved a sigh and sank into a chair next to her bed, rubbing his palms on his thighs.

"I owe you an apology." He folded his hands and leaned forward on his elbows. "I heard more about how nuts your last few days have been, and I'm pretty sure that this," he motioned to the room, "was the last thing you needed to deal with today."

The heart monitor beeped steadily.

"Anyway, I'll make it up to you," he resolved. "Been a while since you've been around. "Most of the old gang is ANBU, now. If you stick with the medic division, you'll probably see all of us one time or another. We all get together when we can." His eyes skimmed over her, considering. "You were always busy with stuff for your family, but maybe you can join us now. Tell your dad it's a work thing."

Naruto smiled to himself at the image of anyone, much less quiet Hinata telling Hyūga Hiashi that they had a 'work thing' to attend over some clan commitment.

"Sakura's birthday is Saturday - I bet we'll all go out. Well." He paused. "Assuming she and Teme know about each other by then and are speaking." He sighed and rubbed his head. "You think that situation will ever be right?"

"She knows I keep in touch with Sasuke. She doesn't know that I never really lost contact. Just like he doesn't know the whole story behind her job in Suna. Considering it meant she was working for your cousin, that wasn't a story I was in a rush to tell. Sorry," he added. "But I'm sure you know that those two never really got along…"

That was a gross understatement of laughable proportions.

In some ways, Neji and Sasuke were far too similar. Sasuke acknowledged that Neji had been the best in his class, and a highly capable agent; but one to combat rather than to befriend.

Neji respected Sasuke – or at least Sasuke's situation – enough to go on that retrieval mission when they were sixteen (Neji was seventeen), but after that?

They barely, if ever spoke.

Sasuke returned Konoha shortly before they started at University, and it seemed like all of the rifts within their group of friends were, if not healed, at least patched. The day Sakura transferred to Konoha University had been the beginning of the good times. Back then, he was certain that nothing could ever separate their group of friends.

Even when Neji and Sasuke had both taken an interest in Sakura, (and Sasuke ultimately succeeded and Neji bowed out, gracefully) they'd all remained close.

And then the unthinkable happened.

And nothing was the same.

The last five years were a blur of missions and rebuilding ANBU from the bottom up while flushing out any remnants of Danzo's treachery. It was only in the last two years that he and Sasuke had been more on the regular rotation of agent assignments and not gone for weeks at a time on solo or dual missions, or teaming up with Sai and Kakashi.

The heart monitor gave an offbeat rhythm and Hinata shivered in her sleep.

Naruto frowned and looked around until he spotted an extra blanket over the back of one of the chairs.

"There," he whispered, gently draping it over her. "I remember Shino saying you tended to be cold. Feel cold," he corrected himself.

She didn't stir, but at least she didn't shiver again.

The room was silent except for her soft breathing coupled with the occasional electronic punctuation marking the return to the regular cadence of her heartbeat.

Even in sleep, she was steady.

Naruto shoved his hands in his pockets with a dry chuckle.

"Guess all we can do is make sure that Sasuke is as little of a jerk as possible, and that Sakura's transition to ANBU goes as smoothly as possible." He half smiled. "Don't know why, but I get the feeling that you might be the perfect person to help with all of that."

A noise down the hall caught his attention, and he quietly backed himself into the corner and listened. When no one arrived, he stepped away from the wall with a small breath of relief.

"Better get a move on," he murmured. "I'll check in with you later, Hinata" he whispered, touching her shoulder gently before slipping past the curtains and over to where Sakura slept, her heartbeat slowed but stronger and clearer than Hinata's had been.

"Long time no see," he said quietly, giving her hand a squeeze as he perched on the chair next to her bed. "Sorry I couldn't come before now."

He looked her over – she looked like she could wake any moment and laugh, or sit up and get back to work. If he wasn't so sure that she was deep in REM sleep, he'd be more nervous of waking her.

"I heard about how amazing you've been," he said warmly. "Can't say I'm surprised, really. You've always been pretty incredible. You know there'll be no living with Kankurō now, right? He's already telling everyone that it took a Suna-nin to crack this poisoning thing. I'll wait until he's better to remind him that you graduated to genin in Konoha, and therefore it still counts for our team."

He checked the clock and winced.

"I have to get out of here before the next shift comes by," he said apologetically, "but I want you to know that I'm here, okay? Transitioning to ANBU can be some scary shit, but I'm gonna be with you every step of the way. I promise." Naruto knew that Sakura would understand. He  _never_  went back on a promise.

With a final squeeze of her shoulder, he slipped away, unnoticed by the medical staff.

There was nothing to disturb the remaining silence of the recovery room. There was no one conscious to see one of the shadows melt away from the wall and approach Sakura in human form. A hand to her head. Fingers to her pulse. A gentle touch on the diamond mark on her forehead. A careful examination of her wrists. A satisfied half smile. Like a ghost, the figure moved silently to Hinata's side. A hand to her head. Fingers to her pulse. A gentle hand tipping her chin upward. A careful examination of her wrists. Another satisfied half smile. A feather-light kiss on the forehead. Assurances that both girls were safe. With less than a thought, the figure vanished, leaving the silence undisturbed.

* * *

 _* Naruto's apt # is Kishimoto's birthday. Temari's room was_ _Room 125 after eps 125 where Temari saved Shikomaru, so I put Kankurō next door in 126._

 


	4. Can You Tell the Moment

_Finding time to actually sit and post has been a challenge! Thanks for your patience friends!!_

* * *

**You Must Believe in Spring  
Chapter Four: Can You Tell the Moment**

* * *

**Tuesday, March 24th 8:59 AM KST  
Konoha ANBU Base/Infirmary**

Sakura had never woken up feeling as refreshed as she did at 8:59 AM, sharp. She allowed herself an entire 35 seconds to revel in the sensation of being well rested, clear-headed, and serene. At precisely 8:59:36 AM, she sat bolt upright, snapped the blankets off of her legs, and began to remove monitors from her chest and arms with an efficiency born of practice. She'd just managed to brush and toss her hair into a long ponytail when the curtain snapped back, startling her.

"Told you she'd be in a rush to get out of here," Temari crossed her arms while Tenten retrieved the brush that had clattered to the floor.

"You're right," Sakura tucked the brush into her bag and shouldered it. "I've got to go check on Kankurō."

Tenten shook her head. "Tsunade checked on him herself, and sent word that you are not return to work today."

"Sorry," Sakura shrugged. "I've got too much to do."

"It wasn't a suggestion," Temari snorted. "It was an order. Come on," she nodded to the door. "We're going to breakfast."

Understanding broke over Sakura with an impish smile.

"So you've been kicked out, too?"

"Yup!," Tenten grinned. "But don't worry – you can both see Kankurō later today. Tsunade made a deal with him; if he takes it easy this morning and afternoon, she'll have food brought in for him from somewhere not serving jello." At their look, she shrugged. "His words not mine."

"Where is Hinata?"

"She has some things to tend to before Neji is takes her home to rest."

Sakura turned to Temari.

"Guess it's just us?"

"Guess so," she crossed his arms. "The good news is that this is on ANBU's tab and I'm starving."

"Pancakes?"

"Pancakes," she nodded.

"Have fun, girls," Tenten grinned. "Oh, and stop by the armory later, Sakura. I've got something you're gonna like."

"This isn't going to be something that involves explosions, is it?"

"Not this time," she grinned wickedly. "I've got your number, Haruno – just come by and see me."

Sakura looked mistrustful, but agreed, and soon she and Temari were seated at a breakfast diner full of the greasiest food and best pancakes.

"This is the only good thing to come out of my brother's stupidity," Temari shoved a bite of buttermilk deliciousness into her mouth.

"Really?" Sakura asked, hiding her smile behind her glass of water. "Haven't you been staying with Shikamaru?"

"Pass the syrup," she ignored her friend, and the telltale heat at the top of her cheeks.

* * *

**9:05 AM KST  
Konoha ANBU base/Training Area 3**

The team training exercise came with an agenda set by Kakashi – but his subordinates took it as a suggestion at best.

Sai leaned against the wall, watching Sasuke and Naruto attack each other over and over again.

"Not quite how I envisioned our training exercise playing out," he remarked to Kakashi. "But entertaining just the same."

Kakashi stood with arms crossed, and good eye narrowed.

It seemed that the two of them were having one of their 'heart to hearts' the way only two ninja best friends could do – by beating the snot out of each other.

Sasuke was still tired from his extended missions, but he was skilled enough not to let it show in his movements. Still, he would never out do Naruto's stamina, even on his best day. Kakashi idly watched Naruto fly past him and slam into a wall, leaving a sizable crater behind him. "Looks like they're making real progress."

"Whoa."

Kakashi turned to the young man who had just walked in and was trying to follow the motions of the flying ninjas. "What set them off this time?"

Kakashi shrugged airily. "Who knows? Did Shikamaru give you any details about your assignment?"

Sarutobi Konohamaru dragged his eyes away from the spectacle ahead of him, wincing when Naruto bounced Sasuke off the floor before dodging the Uchiha's fireball. "Sort of," he took the file from Kakashi's outstretched hand. "I'm supposed to pick up a bodyguard detail over at Konoha U. Oh, wait, no way," his eyes went wide. "You want me to guard  _her_?!"

Kakashi still didn't look at him. "Problem?"

"Oh, no, not at all," the younger man grimaced as he flipped through the file. "Just looking after the Hyūga heir, and probably having to sign up for all of the same classes mid semester – none of which are even remotely close to my major, by the way – AND I have to somehow watch over this chick who talks to no one, and always has one of those creepy-white-eyed clansmen of hers hanging around. Should be a frickin' cakewalk."

"Good to hear," Kakashi turned his head to the right to dodge an electrified kunai. "I expect you to make contact with her by tonight, Konohamaru."

"By toni- are you kidding me?" he spat out. "Do you know how many guys try to talk to this girl a day? Can't I just do the whole 'watch over you without introducing myself,' thing?!"

Kakashi slid his eyes over to him. "Chicken?"

"He did study under Naruto," Sai chimed in. "Perhaps in his training he learned to also not have a penis."

Konohamaru's eyebrow twitched as he flexed his jaw. "Fine," he spat out between clenched teeth. "I'll report in tonight." With that he exited, cursing under his breath the whole way. No sooner had the door closed when five or six Naruto clones went slamming against it and popped out of existence.

"It's a good match today," Sai smiled brightly.

"Where do you stand in the pool?"

Sai watched a Sasuke clone get cut down by a rasengan. "I've got bets on at least 4 broken ribs, and am hopeful for a concussion. That would put me over Shikamaru's win last week." They both ducked to avoid Naruto careening over them to bounce his head off of a training dummy. Kakashi frowned when he realized it wasn't a clone.

"Well there goes my five bucks," he muttered.

"Should we stop them before they do any more damage?" Sai asked, still grinning.

Kakashi rubbed his chin. "I've got 100 ryō* riding on at least one good injury from a summoning. Let's give them 5 more minutes."

Sai nodded. Who said that Shinobi don't know how to have fun?

* * *

**10:25 AM KST  
Konoha, ANBU Base/Morgue**

Neji had insisted that Hinata eat before he would release her to Shino's care.

"Are you certain you don't want me to come with you?" he asked, worried.

"No," she assured him. "Shino is with me. I will be fine."

Neji gave a reluctant nod, but the time for arguing had past; Shino had arrived at his office.

"Take care of her," Neji murmured, waiting until she turned her back to catch Shino's eyes and tap two fingers over his heart. Shino gave a single nod, and led Hinata toward the morgue.

"What have you been told about this?" he asked, his tone as neutral as ever.

Hinata took a deep breath.

"Tokuma was part of an infiltration and reconnaissance party that went missing, along with your clansman Muta. Uchiha Sasuke found four bodies and brought them back to base. The two from the arena were part of the original party, so it is hoped that Tokuma and Muta aren't among the recovered bodies."

"That is correct. In these affairs, though, it is required for members of the Four Noble Clans to verify any bodies found. Why, you ask? That is because we each have jutsus and measures in place that helps us identify our own clansmen, as well as techniques for sealing the bodies. The Sharingan and Byakugan are closely guarded by their respective clans, and require consideration by the clan members. Ultimately, remains have to be returned to the family. I am the contact for the Aburames, given my relationship with ANBU. I am surprised that you have been called upon in this matter, Hinata, as you were listed as the contact before you were admitted to ANBU."

Hinata kept her eyes focused ahead. "Before he left, Tokuma came and spoke with me. He told me that he was going on a mission and needed the Clan Mother to act as his contact."

"That seems to be an oddly specific request," Shino said. "That is because, I cannot think of an instance wherein which the Clan Mother as a position serves any differently than the appointed family member, nor can I think of a reason that your talents would be particular to this assignment. That is not to say that your talents are not valuable; but this kind of assignment does not require a specific acumen. Familiarity with the deceased and ANBU are factors that bear more consideration in this case."

Hinata took no offense. "He must have had his reasons."

Shino opened the large, double doors to the morgue where Yūgao was waiting.

"Thank you for coming," she said to them both with a bow. "Aburame Shino, please make your way in. Lady Hyūga," she motioned to a side door, "I am Uzuki Yūgao. If you would?"

Hinata nodded, and stepped through the door, only to be met with the familiar, reassuring presence of Master Sarutobi.

"I hope you do not mind, Lady Hyūga," he stood to greet her, "but I asked to be here."

"I am grateful to see you," her relief was gentle on the back of her gratitude, and he offered her a kindly smile as Yori held out a seat for her.

"Then I am glad I came," he took his own seat. "Yūgao?" he turned to the medic-nin. "If you would?"

She gave a small nod and cleared her throat. "I am sorry to have to speak to you under these circumstances, Lady Hyūga," she began, "but Tokuma asked for you specifically should this scenario present itself. He also left this," she handed Hinata a scroll, "and asked that it be given to you should there be a need to identify his body."

Hinata traced careful fingers over the intricate seal and studied the scroll, a small line deepening between her brows. "I haven't seen this before."

"I'm not surprised," Master Sarutobi laced his fingers together. "That type of scroll is unique to your clan, and very much a rarity. In fact," he looked to their host. "Would you be so kind as to excuse us, Yūgao?" he asked kindly. "I believe that Lady Hinata would like to consult this scroll in private."

"Of course, Master Sarutobi," Yūgao ducked her head deferentially. "Please call on me if you need anything." With a polite haste, she exited the room and closed the door behind her.

Hinata had not yet looked up from the scroll. Master Sarutobi watched her carefully, and nodded to Yori who remained close to them both.

"Do you know what this is, Lady Hinata?"

She nodded slowly. "My Mother told me about some of these types of scrolls," she said, turning the scroll in her hands. "Although I have never seen one before today. I understand that she approached you about modifying some of the old clan jutsus to create these?"

She turned her pale white-lavender eyes to him, and for a moment he was struck by how much she truly resembled her mother. Her mother had those same delicate features, the same graceful hands with long, beautifully tapered fingers, and those same kind eyes. There was also a sort of unassuming intelligence in the women that could so easily go under-appreciated.

Master Sarutobi knew first-hand how foolish it was to underestimate the intelligence and loyalty of the Hyūga women. Hinata's mother had been a steadfast friend to the village, assisting in many matters not clan related, but in secret and never with the intent to be thanked. She had been a kind, brave woman.

"Yes. I helped to create the jutsu inscribed in that scroll. In fact," he pulled out his pipe, "That looks like one I helped make. Tokuma, was it?" he asked, lighting his pipe and sitting back to inhale the dry, sweet smoke. "I believe I made this for him at your Mother's request."

"And that is why he needed the Clan Mother?"

Master Sarutobi gave a single, deep nod. "Only the Clan Mother can read that scroll."

Hinata understood. With careful but concise movements, she released the scroll and unrolled it. There was nothing on the paper.

She looked over to him, the question in her eyes.

"Look again," Master Sarutobi encouraged.

Hinata activated her Byakugan and took in a sharp intake of breath. She understood now. She performed a series of hand signals and placed her palm on the scroll. Green chakra rolled out from her hand and illuminated the spot on the page.

A cage appeared.

It was empty.

"He's alive," she breathed, relief washing over her. "He's alive and his Byakugan isn't sealed. This is what the scroll means, isn't it? You found a way for us to use the caged bird sealing jutsu to track if an operative was alive and to seal their Byakugan if they died."

"We did," he corrected her. "Your mother and I. She came to me after the Clan Plague, concerned that perhaps the Byakugan and Sharingan were being targeted. She wanted to see if there was a way to protect the families form having their eyes stolen and used against them."

"Can we use it to track him?" she asked hopefully. "To recall him?"

The old man shook his head. "Unfortunately, no."

Hinata swallowed her disappointment, smiling gently at the warm, sure hand on her shoulder. "At least we know he is alive," she said, covering the hand with her own.

"Nevertheless, we should inspect what is in there," he pointed to the door with his pipe. "I've asked Kakashi to examine the remains with his Sharingan – perhaps you could do the same with your Byakugan."

"Alright," Hinata gave a single nod. "If you think it will help."

They filed out of the small room, and entered the morgue quietly, not wishing to interrupt Shino as he spoke with Yūgao.

"I do not think that this is Muta. That is because, there should be some trace of his insects or their chakra, no matter what the damage. The insects I have found are indeed his, but I believe they were part of the battle, not killed with their host. Furthermore - "

"Lady Hyūga?" Yūgao caught sight of Hinata as she surveyed the remains. "Is something wrong?"

Hinata stood stone still, listening as she hovered a hand shimmering with chakra over one of the corpses.

"These bodies," she said, quietly. "We were meant to find them. Can you scan them with your Sharingan?" she asked over her shoulder.

Kakashi nodded and pushed up his hitai-ate with his thumb.

"Do you see it?" she asked. He shook his head. She pumped chakra through the distorted, dried systems. "Now?" she asked. His eyes widened. She went from body to body, and each time Kakashi gave a single nod.

"What are you seeing?" Yūgao asked, looking to the charred, twisted shapes on the examination tables.

"The bodies," Hinata half whispered. "They… they hold a message. It's… It's been encoded in their chakra systems. Tokuma must have managed this somehow. They must have battled these beings and the remains were left behind as a warning."

"What message?" Yūgao asked, darting her eyes between Hinata and the charred bodies.

Hinata grimaced and Kakashi crossed his arms before answering: "The real one is not among them."

* * *

**11:26 AM KST  
Konoha ANBU base/Armory**

Sakura found Tenten in the armory, just as she said she'd be. Her friend greeted her with a smile.

"You're earlier than I thought you'd be."

Sakura smiled back. "Shikamaru is timing me. I have dispensation for one hour to check in with you, and then I have to disappear until dinner. After that, I promised to just eat dinner, grab some files, and then go home."

"How is everyone doing?"

"Kankurō is reassuringly cranky, and Temari is finally less on edge." She watched Tenten haul a large bin to the counter. "What's all that?"

"Stuff you're going to need for your field/combat evaluation," she began putting items on the counter for her. "Here is your field uniform; you wear it to your eval – tomorrow, is it?" she handed over the same navy and green ensemble she was wearing.

"Tomorrow," Sakura agreed, taking the outfit.

"The armory takes care of any uniform concerns, so if this isn't your size, you come talk to me. Don't bother with asking if it makes your butt look big; the answer is: yes. They all do." She reached behind her and scooped up a handful of shuriken and kunai. "You'll need these," she placed them next to the pouches. "And a ration of soldier pills, canteen, etc."

"Where is this field test, exactly," Sakura asked dryly. "Kumogakure?"

"Try these on," Tenten handed her a box with a grin.

Sakura took the package with a suspicious look at Tenten, but smiled as soon as she lifted the lid. She pulled the black gloves on and flexed her fingers inside of them. "These are perfect," she said with a gleam in her eye. "How did you know?"

Tenten looked smug. "I told you I had your number, Haruno. Those are made of a special fabric that conducts chakra. The inside will better allow your chakra out, but the exterior will absorb impact. I had Tsunade test the prototypes."

Sakura looked up in surprise. "She hates gloves."

"So, I heard," Tenten said wryly. "Repeatedly. But they do work."

"But why develop something for Tsunade that she wouldn't use?"

Tenten arched an eyebrow. "Who said I developed them for Tsunade?" She laughed at her friend's dumbstruck expression. "C'mon Sakura, it was only a matter of time before you joined the team. She wouldn't have bothered teaching you all that she did about field work and combat – or evading combat – if she didn't think you might have to use that training someday. What kind of weapons specialist would I be if I didn't prepare for Tsunade Mach II? We have to protect those hands of yours."

Sakura looked down to her gloved hands, and then back up to Tenten wickedly. "Does this mean that these," she held up her hands, "are registered as weapons?"

"Damn straight," Tenten smirked. "And I always look after my weaponry."

The girls giggled as Tenten pulled a few more things out to add to Sakura's bin. "Let's get the rest of your gear, and I'll show you to the locker room so you can try that stuff on," she smiled. "I'll give you a half tour while we go, and fill you in on what's going on tomorrow."

Sakura grinned and pounded her fist into her palm. "Bring it!"

* * *

**12:45 PM KST  
Konoha ANBU base/Men's Locker Room**

Naruto wandered out to the locker room area where Sasuke was sitting with this elbows on his legs, fingers steepled under his chin, staring into space. Naruto busied himself in his locker, watching his friend from the corner of his eye.

He knew Sasuke remembered. He had seen flashes of what was on his mind in their fight – that was how they communicated. He winced and eyed a nasty bruise forming on his arm, certain that with Sakura around, there were many more "chats" in his future.

He dressed in silence, tossing his towels into the hamper before closing and leaning against his locker to face the stoic Uchiha.

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know yet."

"Yet?" Naruto sat down on the bench next to him. "You mean the last couple of years weren't long enough to think it over?"

Sasuke sighed heavily.

"You aren't going to let this go, are you," he muttered, too depleted of chakra and energy to even manage his normal emotional barriers.

Naruto put a hand firmly on his shoulder. "You don't want me to," he said simply, ignoring when Sasuke's eyes flashed red briefly before returning to obsidian.

"Hn."

"And you are  _sure_  you aren't gay for each other?"

They snapped their heads around to see Sai leaning against the lockers with his idiotic fake grin in place.

"Give it a rest, Sai," Naruto muttered, heading out to the small adjoining lounge to make some instant ramen.

Sasuke began gathering his things, pointedly ignoring Sai who leaned against the lockers, arms crossed, no doubt waiting for the first opportunity to begin awkwardly questioning his teammates about their relationship. A microwave from the small adjoining lounge area gave a shrill cry, followed by Naruto's muffled:

"W-wait! You can't go in there!"

The door to the lounge flew open and Ino stormed in, followed by a scrambling Naruto trying not to drop his too-hot bowl of ramen. Sasuke watched with what might have been confusion as she crossed the room to him in three quick steps, inadvertently taking a half step back into the locker room bench.

"Sit," she instructed with a quick shove, her eyes boring into his as he plopped unceremoniously onto the bench. Sasuke was nothing if not surprised. Had he not been so distracted today, she never would have been able to even touch him, much less catch him off balance. He hid the wince as her strong hand happened to shove right into a particularly large bruise Naruto had given him.

He glared up at her, Naruto choked on his ramen, and Sai smiled politely. He raised his dark eyebrows with a murderous look, giving her a chance to explain before he retaliated.

"Spare me," she bit back, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder. "I only have about five minutes before I have to get back to the lab, so listen carefully." She crossed her arms and stared at him coldly. "It's about Sakura."

Black eyebrows went, if possible, higher toward his hairline.

"You heard she is joining ANBU?"

"Kakashi told us," Naruto ventured. "Does she know you're a member?"

"Yes. And she knows you work with the ASF, so your being a part of it won't be a shock. But you?" she looked at Sasuke. "She doesn't even know you are in the country."

Sasuke arched an eyebrow, and the question slid off of his tongue before he could stop it.

"What does she know?"

Ino crossed her arms with a snort. "You want to know what she knows, Sasuke? She knows that you left five years ago to chase after the people that murdered your family. She knows she hasn't heard from you since. She knows she saw the news in the paper when the "murderer" was caught and the months' worth of news and tabloids when you took over Uchiha Industries. She knows you travel around the world for business and are rarely in Konoha, and frankly is relieved that your schedule coupled against her own insane one makes the risk of running into you negligible."

Ino's eyes hardened.

"She knows that five years ago, you walked out of her life, and never looked back."

"Ino," Naruto jumped in, "you know that what he did – what we all did – it couldn't be helped! And most of what Sasuke did was to  _protect_  Sakura."

"I'm not saying there weren't justifications," she flicked a glance at Naruto, "but there were consequences."

"Why didn't she go back to Suna?"

They both looked at Sasuke.

"Last I heard she was relocating to take over the medical program at their University's learning hospital."

"Change in plans," she lifted one shoulder, elegantly dismissing his question. "Unfortunately, we all have to work together now. She is going to be key in the upcoming investigations, which means that she will probably be working with you, specifically."

Sasuke had no idea what expression registered on his face to make Ino sigh in weary exasperation.

"Look. Even though you left. Even after everything, she made it. She's probably even forgiven you. She  _will_  forgive you when she knows why you went," she held up a hand to stop whatever comment he had, "and she  _deserves_  to know why you went."

Sasuke couldn't argue.

"Hn."

Ino looked at him before continuing. "That part won't be so bad." He looked up to her with some unidentifiable emotion. "The bad part will be explaining why you never told her you were back."

Sasuke's eyes widened fractionally as she leaned in closer, her face directly in his, invading his personal space with a total disregard for the venomous aura gathering about him. When his Sharingan flared to life, she didn't even flinch.

"Sakura is my roommate, and best friend," her whisper was threaded in steel. "You have no idea what those five years were like for her, but I do. So, let me make this perfectly clear to you. You might be one of the best agents we have around here, but make one fucking wrong move, and I personally guarantee that nobody will be able to piece your mind back together. Ever. Do you understand me?"

Her blue eyes bored malevolently into his, her naked threat hanging in the air between them. Sasuke held her fierce stare for what seemed to his teammates to be an eternity before giving the most imperceptible of nods. Sai and Naruto visibly exhaled as Ino straightened up slowly.

"Good. I'm glad that we understand one another." With a final knowing glare, she turned on her heel and made the kind of exit that would have had most men staring whether or not their lives had just been threatened. Sasuke stared at the door that swung closed behind her, and perhaps the first time in his life had a begrudging but healthy respect for the inheritor of the Yamanaka bloodline

Sai watched with an open mouth while Naruto gave a low whistle, absently poking at his ramen. "Wow."

The word seemed to hang in the air between them all, as if it was all any of them could say while they all stared dumbly at the now-still door.

"Better not screw this one up, Teme," Naruto advised as his team mate looked over to him stone-faced, his Sharingan fading. "That's the first time I've ever worried that someone might beat me or Tsunade to kicking the crap out of you, much less do a better job of it."

Sai was still staring at the door, blinking wildly. Clearly, he had no idea how to process what he had just seen. He turned back to his teammates, desperate for some kind of explanation, but found nothing but silence from either of them.

A low chuckle broke the silence, and both Sasuke and Sai stared at Naruto. "I can't believe Ino just waltzed into the men's locker room to bust your balls," a slow smile spread across his face. "I've never seen anything like that."

Sai suddenly snapped his head up and quipped, "That's what she said!"

Both men turned to stare at him. "Did I do that wrong?" he asked, frowning in confusion. "Tenten advised me to try to stop always talking about how you two don't have penises and perhaps use that particular line instead."

Naruto gaped at him. "Advised?"

Sai nodded. "Most emphatically. She was brandishing multiple shuriken at the time– I assume that she meant the advice most sincerely."

Naruto kept barely his face composed. "I'll bet."

"Idiots," Sasuke gave a sigh of frustration and stormed past the two of them, for once grateful for Sai's glaring social awkwardness. There was no telling how long he would've sat there in shock that  _Ino_  of all people had threatened  _him_ , and that he knew she was deadly serious.

Sai was clearly going to ask for an explanation, so Sasuke paused at the door.

"The Dobe will explain it to you."

He left, ignoring Naruto's groan.

* * *

**3:47 PM KST  
Konoha ANBU base/Laboratories**

Sakura enjoyed her visit with Temari and Kankurō, and swore to Shikamaru and Tsunade and anyone who asked that she only had a few things she wanted to ask Dr. Aburame before she went home.

Sakura respected Shino and his keen intellect, and had cause to rely on his skills many times before today. Looking back on everything, it made sense that he worked with ANBU; he had an uncanny ability for figuring out answers from even the most minute and obscure bits of data. He would be a real asset to the research end of her work.

"Shino?" she called, entering the lab.

He rounded the corner and indicated that she should follow him. "It is good that you came back," he said in his deep monotone. "Why? That is because, I believe I have compiled more accurate data from our samples."

"Excellent," Sakura followed him, tucking a wayward piece of hair behind her ear. "Tell me more about the targeting of Kekkei genkai."

"It is impressive that you deduced that different Kekkei genkai were being targeted by analyzing the fact that we were dealing with a biological threat and that I insisted that Hinata be vaccinated before entering the lab."

Sakura smiled at the compliment. "They don't pay me to sit around and be pretty, Shino."

"This will be your office in our division," he waved her into the small office off of the research area. "You haven't been issued a formal login with the appropriate clearance yet, but I asked Shikamaru to authorize a workaround until tomorrow."

He paused as she sat behind the desk using the login information to access the ANBU database. She gave a low whistle. "This is some pretty high-tech stuff, Shino." He took the next 15 minutes to show her the basics of navigating the research and medical database and record systems, which were like the hospital's systems but taken to the nth degree.

"I can't believe how far some of these records go back!" she said for possibly the tenth time.

"You know Hokage-iwa," he stated.

"The Hokage Monument? Sure – I am from here originally; what of it?"

"The Konoha Archive Library is there, and has been since long before the time of the Fifth Hokage. Its location within the mountainside is what allowed it to survive the many destructions of Konoha intact. Many of those records have been transcribed into our electronic databases. The Four Noble Clans also keep their own clan records. In addition to that, the Nara Clan has kept extensive research and medicinal records for generations, detailing even the particulars of the Akimichi clan. We have an amazingly intact written record database from which to pull this information."

Sakura stared for a while at the screen. "The Aburames are one of the Four Noble Clans, aren't they?"

"We are; as are the Akimichi, Hyūga, and Uchiha clans. The Hyūga clan has the most extensive archive next to the Naras. After the Fourth Shinobi War, the Hyūga Clan-Mother made a point to safeguard the archives of the village and the surrounding clans. The Uchiha Clan was rebuilding at the time, and there were many smaller clans without the means to archive their own histories. The resulting records have been invaluable in treating and preventing ailments for all of Konoha."

"I remember learning about that," she thought of her Academy days. A perplexed look passed over her face as if she suddenly remembered something else. "Shino, wasn't there a time when we were kids when many members of the clans were sick? Some kind of plague?"

Shino nodded "When we were eight years old, there was a sickness in Konoha that happened to affect many members of the more prominent clans. It was dubbed 'The Clan Plague' by the medics at the time."

"Were the Aburames seriously affected by the Clan Plague?"

"No," he shook his head. "It seems that the Uchihas and the Hyūgas were particularly susceptible to illness. In the end, the critical difference was that the Hyūgas went to Hinata's mother when the symptoms first presented themselves and before they became serious enough to warrant professional medical attention. The clan remedy she had given them curbed the progression of the disease, and they responded much more rapidly to treatment. In the end, of the Four Noble Clans, only the Uchihas suffered any major loss of life. The only known survivors were the headman Fugaku, his wife, and two sons."

"Sounds suspiciously familiar, doesn't it?" Sakura asked, crossing her arms.

"That thought had crossed my mind. Which leads me to my next question."

She looked to Shino expectantly.

"In the time that I have worked with you, it has been my observation that you prefer to gather all available data on your own, and then formulate your own conclusions. Would you say this is correct?"

"I'd say that is a fair statement."

"Is it also a fair statement that you prefer this type of solo data mining to explanations, or filtered presentations of data?"

Sakura folded her hands and leaned on the desk, suddenly aware that Shino might not be discussing their current research. "I have always been one to form my own opinions," she said carefully. "Might I ask to what this pertains, specifically?" tried to keep her tone light.

"There are several levels of files kept though the ASF and ANBU," he picked up a small stack of files from the corner of her desk. "The general files available through the ASF have the least sensitive information, as they may be handled by civilians. The medical files available through the ASF are more specific with a level of chakra encoding to keep them secure, but include access to more sensitive information so as not to jeopardize the life of the agent, should they not be able to be treated by ANBU. The personnel and medical level files for ANBU are more detailed. Only the Hokage has access to the most detailed and comprehensive of the files; these detail entire medical and personal histories, as well as psychological evaluations, and mission records. The files are indecipherable in their physical or electronic forms without her clearance."

He gestured to the folders in his hands. "These are the ANBU research and medical versions of the files. They are the most comprehensive and unfiltered presentations of data available under our security clearance."

The quiet man stared at her from behind darkened lenses. "I believe you will find these to be helpful," he handed her several files. "I will be leaving early today; you are on my security clearance until morning," he said, making his way to the door. "I presume you will use this knowledge at your discretion, and to your advantage."

And with a polite nod, he was gone.

Sakura watched him leave with the odd sense that she had just been told far more than what was said. She shuffled through the files, laying them on the desk as she went.

Hyūga, Tokuma (MIA)

Hyuga, Hizashi (dec'd)

Kakashi, Hatake

Terumī Mei

Uchiha, Sasuke

Sakura's heart stopped. Instinctively her eyes darted around the room, alighting on the large, illuminated numbers of the digital wall clock.

**4:26 pm**

To say the day had been tiring would be one of the grandest understatements that Sakura had ever had the pleasure to make. She stared at the file on her desk, waiting for her mind to make sense of what she was seeing, and her heart to start again. There was a distant, oddly dissociative sense of being at a precarious and critical crossroad – bigger than analyzing what happened with Kankurō, than being recruited by ANBU – bigger than anything she had ever done. She closed her eyes as if trying to commit her life up until this point to memory, because she knew, innately, that it was all about to change irrevocably.

She needed more time.

There was no more time.

Sasuke.

Sasuke was being targeted.

Sasuke was a member of ANBU.

Sasuke was back in her life.

A million and three questions circled in her mind as her fingers traced over the familiar name as if trying to translate it from some long forgotten, half learned language.

She could ignore the file.

She could pretend she didn't see it and go home.

She could have Ino explain.

But she knew she wouldn't.

She did exactly what she knew she would do.

She sat down at her desk, opened the file, and began to read.

* * *

**4:26 PM KST  
Konoha, Infinte Tsukyomi Restaurant**

Sasuke reminded himself to never again think the words "Well, at least that is over," ever again.

He had survived a brutal mission, sleepless nights, handing over a scroll that could have the bodies of four comrades sealed within it, a morning debriefing with Sai, a sparring match with the dobe that would've killed a lesser man, an unprovoked and unexpected dressing down by Ino complete with threats to shatter his mind, and the confirmation that not only was Sakura 'around,' but that she was about to be back in his life in a big way.

But this? This might be enough to send him over the edge.

He stopped, held the bridge of his nose between thumb and first two fingers, and swallowed a sigh, a colorful epithet, and a bevy of homicidal urges.

"Tell me again," he demanded, looking up harshly at the ghost-pale man across from him, "what exactly you are doing here?"

Sai blinked before answering. "Kakashi suggested that I find you to and discuss what happened five years ago. So, I followed you here."

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched in irritation.

In an effort to forget everything today, he went to an out-of-the-way restaurant that she would have hated. It was too dark, too formal, too expensive, and far too stuffy to ever justify bringing her here. He requested the room that had been specifically built for the Uchiha executives, complete with ANBU level security capabilities. Here he could feel isolated from the impending doom that was their inevitable reunion looming on the not-so-distant horizon. Here, he was left alone by the discreet wait staff, and he was attended to by only a select few waiters that one: only came when summoned, and two: wouldn't spend the afternoon flirting with him or trying to eavesdrop. Here, he was safe.

Correction.

He had been safe.

He had also been unaware that Sai had an ink-creature stashed in his jacket pocket until he looked up over his menu and saw a stylized hummingbird spring from the back of a business card to settle into an open scroll next to the elbow of the man sitting across from him. It turns out that ANBU level security is not as effective against a top ANBU Agent; particularly when he has been sent by your team captain who undoubtedly instructed him on how to bypass said security.

He scowled fiercely; an expression that usually sent people running out of the room as if the phrase "staring daggers," was about to become a literal possibility.

Sai, however, was not to be deterred. "He also suggested that you explain how this Dr. Haruno figures into your respective pasts, as it will affect our team dynamic," he tucked away the scroll.

"He did, did he?"

Sai nodded, taking out two more scrolls. "When I asked, he said those were questions for the two of you. As Naruto was not available, I turned to you instead. So, who is this Dr. Haruno whose return has you so upset? Is she an enemy?"

Sasuke worked a muscle in his jaw. "No."

"So, she is a friend."

"Not exactly."

"An ally?"

Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Sai. "We apparently all work for the same people, so I guess that is a fair statement."

"It seems you both have worked for the same people for quite some time," he unrolled a scroll. "I asked Kakashi for more information so I could better understand my teammates. He gave me this."

"What is that," onyx eyes zeroed in on the parchment in his hands before flaring red.

"A confidential file coded, redacted, and otherwise made illegible to civilians." He didn't need to mention that he knew how to read it, or that his ability to read it came from his training with ROOT. Sai never mentioned ROOT or Danzo around Sasuke without a damned good reason and at least two witnesses.

Sasuke snatched the file. "Let me see that."

A few moments later, he tossed it back in frustration, his Sharingan fading.

Sai looked down at the file, and then up at the annoyed Uchiha. "This… this Sakura," he said slowly, watching Sasuke's minute reaction to the use of the doctor's first name. "She was… she was once important to you, yes?"

Sasuke stared at him a long time.

"Hn."

Sai nodded, and gave him an appraising look before continuing. "I had a brother." The change in topic was abrupt, but something in the man's tone made Sasuke pay closer attention. "We were ordered to fight to the death or be killed by Danzo. In the end, my brother kept a terminal illness a secret so that I could survive." He met the Sasuke's glower with his own dark-eyed and penetrating stare. "I know something about loss and making the difficult choices."

Something like the beginning of an understanding passed between the two silent men.

"Kakashi said she is undergoing her initial medical and psychiatric evaluations today," Sai said quietly. "I have already requested that he update me with any pertinent information." He tapped a finger on the scroll, as if making a decision. "In the meantime, we should look over this together."

"Why."

It wasn't a question, it was a demand for an explanation. Sai remained unruffled.

"Because I feel it will strengthen our bonds and make us more compatible as teammates and shinobi."

Sasuke stared at him. "That's it?"

Sai managed to look slightly uncomfortable. "No. We have been on the same team for several years. I consider you a trusted comrade. I'd… I'd like to be your friend. More like how Naruto is your friend."

Sasuke waited a few moments, expecting the artist to make some comment questioning Naruto's sexuality, or his preferences – anything that typical Sai would say to ruin the moment. When nothing came, though, Sasuke gave a short nod.

Sai unrolled a blank scroll and quickly drew several dozen mice with efficient and beautiful strokes. He released them from the paper and they swarmed over the encrypted file, much to the disgust and fascination of Sasuke. In mere moments, they returned to their original scroll. Sai performed a series of hand signals and the mice melted into a sea of words, no longer coded, redacted, or otherwise encrypted. He carefully rolled the scroll, and handed it to Sasuke.

He took it tentatively, but at a nod from his cryptic teammate, began to read. The first entry was dated more than a decade ago, where it all began.

The Academy.

* * *

**8:27 PM KST  
Konoha, Kunoichi Garden Apartments #2822**

When the key finally turned in the lock, Ino looked up from the couch, took one look at her best friend and roommate, and sighed.

"You know."

Sakura nodded. "I know."

Ino came over to her, took her bag, closed the door, brought her to the couch, and wrapped her in the fiercest, tightest, most bone-crushing-best-friend-hug she could offer. They rested their foreheads together for a long time before either spoke.

"He's in ANBU." Sakura stated.

"He is."

"And you are in ANBU. And I am in ANBU. And he is going to be involved in the same stuff we am involved in. There isn't going to be any avoiding him."

Ino shook her head.

"And I don't suppose he even had the common decency to become gruesomely unattractive?"

"No," Ino conceded, a tiny smile twitching her lips. "Sorry."

"Bastard."

"Agreed," Ino pulled her to the living room and waited until she settled into the crook of their shared couch before handing her a scroll and a bottle of sake. She took her seat on the other side, and said the one word Sakura needed to hear.

"Ask."

Sakura took a deep breath, opened the bottle, drank from it directly, and opened the scroll.

* * *

**Wednesday, March 25th, 1:47 AM KST  
Konoha, Hokage Outlook Apartments #1108**

The vibrations of his phone jarred him out of his deep sleep. He fumbled for the obstinately buzzing appliance, bringing it to his ear with only about a third of his neurons firing coherently.

"Yeah?" he mumbled.

"When."

"When, what," he asked, raking a hand over his face.

"When were you going to tell me she didn't take the job in Suna? That she didn't go back?"

Naruto sighed. "Seriously?" he flopped onto his back. "You should be asking me when I was going to tell her  _you_  were back. Or how long I knew about her working at the Hyūga hospital. Or how I know that you have been drinking or you wouldn't have called me."

"Fine. How long did you know about her working at the hospital?"

"Since she started."

"You said she went to Suna."

"She went," Naruto allowed. "They wanted her at that other hospital real bad - made her some insane offers. In the end, working at the Hyūga hospital gave her the chance to start up a new hospital in Suna, while guaranteeing a position in Konoha if she wanted it, so she took their offer. Simple as that."

Silence. Silence he instinctively knew was filled with the grinding of teeth and the pulsing of that muscle in his jaw.

"Look, man, can we talk about this tomorrow? If you are finally ready to hear what I've been trying to tell you for the last five years, I'm happy to go over it again."

"I have her file."

"I have her number. What's your point?"

"Her  _file_ , dobe," the snide retort snaked its way into his brain. "And her number might have been helpful four years ago."

'Only four years ago? Allowing yourself a whole excused calendar year?"

"Given the circumstances?"

"Yeah, yeah. Circumstances. And stuff. Stuff that has waited five years and can wait a few more hours, Teme."

"Go back to bed," Sasuke grunted, knowing full well the idiot wouldn't even remember their conversation in the morning. In fact, that is why allowed himself to call, sake or no sake. He couldn't sleep, but he would swallow a rusty kunai before he admitted he wanted to talk to anyone about all of this.

"Right. Bed" Naruto sighed, already halfway to back asleep. "Tomorrow we'll discuss ways for you not to be a jerk so that you can have Sakura back again," he yawned. "I'm going to have Hinata help us."

"You're going to what, now?" Genuine surprise flooded over the line.

"Night, Teme," and he hung up.

He absolutely would not recall the phone call in the morning.

He also wouldn't remember dreams of a sweet, sad smile, long, dark hair, and the intriguing pressure of an alternately hard and soft body pressed underneath his own. He wouldn't recall the smell of lavender or jasmine, or the sound of soft breathing and a steady heartbeat. Those thoughts and memories were still too young and tentative to exist outside of dreams and half-hearted recollections. They kept him company in sleep though, which might be why he had been so eager to return to them. When he woke to destroy another alarm clock, they were gone, leaving only a sense of well-being and promises of things to come in their place.

* * *

**_A/N_ **

_*In Boruto they have cheeseburgers. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that at some point they got a good greasy spoon/pancake house, and that Temari secretly loves pancakes, so she and Sakura go. I especially like the idea because I imagine Temari to be very regimented in everything else she eats, so this would be the strangest indulgence for her._

_*Ryō is the currency used in Naruto (although later it switches to yen.) 1 Ryō is roughly ¥10 /$0.10 so 100 Ryō is ¥1000 or $10.00. A note to the economically savvy: these are approximations, and not based on current exchange rates, but on average information. Also, Wikipedia._

_*The Konoha Archive Library is canonically inside of Hokage Rock, and survived Pein's attack._

_*The girl's apartment # is a combination of their birthdays_

_*Konohamaru's scenes with Hanabi will be posted in a separate work :)_

_As always, thanks for reading!_

_\- GL_


	5. No Matter What Happens

_Chapters 5-8 move fast, friends, and will look the most familiar...except for at least one very critical difference._

* * *

**You Must Believe in Spring  
Chapter Five: No Matter What Happens**

* * *

**Wednesday, March 25** **th** **, 5:27 AM KST  
** **Konoha, Nara Forest**

Shikamaru had an apartment in town, but preferred to stay at his cabin deep in the Nara forest, perched at the edge of a clearing just large enough to watch the clouds drift over the swaying trees. Many mornings, Temari found him lying on the roof, his hands behind his head while the deer grazed peacefully in his lawn.

That morning, however, she was the one sitting on the roof with her face tilted to the still-dark West. The sun was not yet visible over the trees and hills of Konoha, and it would be some hours before the light was strong enough to dissipate the mist hovering through the forest.

"For someone who always complains about being cold, you pick some strange places to spend your alone time."

Shikamaru dropped a blanket around her shoulders before lying back on the roof, looking up at the sky and the last of the fading stars.

"Why up so early?"

"I'm always up early. What's your excuse?"

"That you're always up early."

"You knew that when you asked me to stay."

"True," he yawned widely. "I was hoping the time difference would work in my favor."

She smiled at that. "Usually works better when you come to Suna."

Her gaze shifted, locking onto a point in the distance.

Shikamaru followed her gaze from his position and frowned as he raised himself up on his elbow. "Is that…?"

"Takamaru," she grinned roguishly, jumping to catch the scroll that the hawk dropped to her before heading to the aviary. She read the seal on the scroll, and her smile became positively wolfish.

Shikamaru was officially uncomfortable.

"...Why is Suna's fastest messenger hawk contacting you?"

"It's a message from Gaara."

"Is he aware we have phones in Konoha?"

She shrugged, but offered no explanation as to why Gaara would communicate via messenger hawk.

She had a calculating gleam in her eye that he knew better than to trust.

"What's the matter, Nara?" she held a hand out to him to help him up. "Can't figure this out?"

He took her hand and stood with a snort.

"The day I can figure out women is the day Naruto gives up ramen."

"Then I guess it won't be today," she tapped him on the shoulder with the scroll and made her way back inside. "Meet you out front."

When she came out of the cabin – her fan on her back over her cloak, her forehead protector dangling in her hand – he was waiting.

They stared in silence at each other for a moment before he held out his hand to her. She took it without hesitation and allowed him to pull her to his side. They were both people that valued their privacy, and neither one was comfortable with overt signs of affection; at least with witnesses. But here, in the solitude of the forest, she twined her fingers in his and allowed her eyes to drift closed as Shikamaru rested his forehead against hers, and gathered his thoughts.

"Whatever it is you are planning," he said quietly. "Please tell me it doesn't have anything to do with going after any potential poisoners."

She shook her head, and she did not tease him in the slightest. When he asked for honesty in this tone, that is what she gave. "It has nothing to do with that," she assured him calmly. "I promise I won't leave Konoha without telling you."

Her word was enough for him, just as his was for her.

He gave some hum of agreement before stepping back and flicking a glance at the forehead protector dangling in her hand. She gave a single nod in response and put it on. He did not joke or call her troublesome. She did not tease him about doubting her abilities or his being a worrier. It was part of their intricate and ever-evolving dynamic that allowed them moments of absolute transparency in lives that relied so heavily on obfuscation.

A moment later they were gone, leaving nothing but a few stirring leaves in their wake.

* * *

**5:28 AM KST  
Konoha, Hyūga Residence**

Hinata went through her early morning routine even earlier than usual, slipping out of the house before Neji had even come to the kitchen for breakfast.

It was not, however, early enough to surprise Kō, who after offering her a ride and being politely declined, bid her a good morning.

Hinata had no sooner cleared the front gate when she was met with three familiar faces.

"Oi, Hinata," Kiba smiled wolfishly, getting off of Akamaru. "Let me take that," he easily swung the bag over his shoulder before draping an arm across her shoulders. "Can't believe our little girl is all grown up and playing with the big kids," he teased her, squeezing her in a one-armed hug.

"That is a stupid comment," Shino intoned, "Why? That is because –"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Dumb comment, because reasons. Noted. Now let's go," Kiba put Hinata on Akamaru and better adjusted her bag. "Or you want to explain to Tsunade why we are late?"

Not even Shino had something to say to that.

* * *

**5:38 AM KST  
Konoha, Kunoichi Garden Apartments #2822**

Sakura woke up with a headache. It might even have been a hangover. She sat up in her bed, and rubbed her temples, dimly noting time on her bedside clock. With a small burst of chakra, she pushed the pain away, knowing she needed at least an hour or two more of good sleep.

A familiar face came swimming before her eyes; and she shoved it aside. She had read through two versions of Sasuke's file and had about a million questions to ask. He had been a Jōnin before he turned sixteen. He left the village after his parents were killed, presumably by his brother, and joined up with S-rank criminal Orochimaru. Orochimaru had infected him with the Cursed Seal of Heaven. He was gone almost two years.

Naruto worked actively to bring him back and stuck by him through the whole ordeal. He had returned after defeating Orochimaru, but it did not appear that he managed to find his brother. He returned to ANBU shortly before enrolling at Konoha University with the rest of their friends to keep up his civilian cover.

At the beginning of his third year at KU he left again. She read the notes of her own statement, detailing how he had left. She didn't know that Inoichi had done a mental scan to make sure her memories were accurate. She didn't know that his departure had been cause for alarm in ANBU, and launched a recovery mission. She didn't know that he had knowingly and willingly gone headlong into a certain death situation, not only for revenge, but to protect his friends. She didn't know it took him and most of ANBU to take down an internal organization known as ROOT headed up by someone named Danzo. She didn't know he had then spent the next several years working with his fellow agents to rebuild ANBU from the inside out.

In the end, she hadn't known anything.

"He was right," she whispered, a tear trailing down her face. "I would have only slowed him down."

* * *

**5:38 AM KST  
Konoha, Uchiha Towers. Penthouse**

Sasuke sat up on the edge of his bed, raking his fingers through his hair. It was not usual for him to drink alone, but the two empty bottles of sake in his kitchen and a late-night call to Naruto indicated he had made an exception.

Despite being an early riser, he was not particularly a morning person, and he definitely wasn't a pre-morning person. He willed his headache to vanish, closed his eyes, only to be taunted with a visual of the file that his photographic memory wouldn't let him stop rereading.

Sakura had left for Suna when her father transferred for his job with the ASF, shortly after they became genin. She was not assigned to a new genin team initially. She did not attend the chūnin exams the first time around.

She was immediately taken to work under Chiyo. Given his family's connections in the medical world, he knew this was virtually unheard of, and was duly impressed. Sakura had worked on top secret ASF/ANBU level research, although he doubted she'd been given the particulars at the time. Chiyo's lab had been responsible for analyzing the Cursed Seal of Heaven, and helped isolate the biological nature of the mark. He stared into the dark room. She had been helping him long before they had reconnected.

The account of her time in Suna was a long list of academic accomplishments and distinctions. There was no mention of her shinobi team in Suna, but the file did note that before she left Konoha, she had been slated to be on a team with him and Naruto. He closed his eyes. What would it have been like if the three of them had been on a team together as genin? He smirked. He knew exactly what it would have been like. They had all been obnoxious in their own way. Kakashi would have had a hell of a time.

She was still registered as a Suna-nin – something that gnawed at him.

She did not belong in Suna; no matter what the paperwork said. No matter if she went to train with her team once a month. No matter if she was part of Neji's little pet project.

Sakura belonged to the Leaf. She belonged in Konoha.

Inevitably, his memory went to the night that he left. Inoichi had to verify her memory, and a transcription of what he had seen through her eyes was in her file. Sasuke didn't bother to read it; he knew what she had seen.

He looked over his shoulder at the pale light and sighed heavily. He was done sleeping, he knew that. He padded into the bathroom and washed his face before searching the eyes of his reflection. There was no outward sign of his inner turmoil, if you ignored the very slight darkness under his eyes, the stress in his frame, the disheveled hair... He shoved away from the counter and moved purposefully back into his room. In less than a minute, he was dressed in workout clothes and taking a private elevator down to his exercise facility. He went immediately to the punching bag and let his fists fly. It was a particularly satisfying way to battle old demons.

* * *

**7:45 PM KST  
Konoha, Kunoichi Garden Apartments #2822**

After an hour of drifting in and out of sleep, Sakura knew she wasn't going back to bed. Normally she'd burn off her frustration by taking a run – maybe punch a few trees to smithereens - but her physical/combat trials were slated for that morning, and she'd been advised not to expend her chakra unnecessarily. She settled for stretching while she mentally reviewed the basic breakdown Ino had given her about how today would go. Both she and Hinata were going to be evaluated individually and within the team context. Since Sakura was still registered as a Suna Shinobi she would be put on a makeshift team for the exercise. That wasn't suprising; as a medic-nin, she had to be ready to work with a variety of teams and at any given time, and she had lots of practice doing so.

She lightly touched the pale diamond on her forehead. It had been a long time since she had to really fight. Tsunade had flicked her in the forehead yesterday saying, "You won't need that." Still, she settled into a meditative pose and focused on gathering chakra into her seal.

" _You can't help me_ ," the voice floated up from her subconscious. She gritted her teeth and forced herself to focus.

"Here," Ino entered her room with a cup of coffee and pressed it into her hands. "I figured you'd be up."

Sakura opened her eyes in surprise. "Why are you up?"

Ino shrugged. "My best friend had a crappy night and is about to go kick some major ass today. Where else would I be?"

"You're the best," Sakura sighed as Ino took a seat next to her on the floor.

"You ok?"

"I don't know what I am today," she said, wrapping her fingers around her mug. "I have a lot in my head."

"That's nothing new," Ino teased, pushing her finger playfully against Sakura's forehead. She hesitated a moment before offering "You don't have to see him right away, you know."

"Well there's a relief," she snorted. "What would I even say to him? 'Oh, Sasuke!'" she slapped a hand to her cheek comically, "'Is that you? It's been simply ages! Why the last time I saw you, you left me to freeze my ass off on a stone bench in the middle of the night. So, how've you been?'"

Ino had to laugh while Sakura lifted her mug with a wry smile. "Sounds the reintroduction you've always wanted," Ino nudged her with her shoulder.

"Never thought about it."

She glanced over at Ino's perfectly shaped and currently skeptically arched eyebrow.

"Okay, fine, I did, but never realistically." She leaned her back against her bed. "In the beginning, I was so sure he'd come back and tell me it had been an awful mistake. Later I dreamed he'd show up, but I'd've grown too strong to care, and send him packing. Finally, it just hurt too damned much, so I stopped thinking about it altogether."

"Altogether?"

"You'd be amazed what I can do when I really put my mind to it."

"No, I wouldn't," Ino scoffed. "I've been watching you put your mind to things for about forever. I  _know_  what you can do." She put an arm around her best friend. "I wish we could have told you sooner. I hate this for you."

"It's okay," Sakura sighed rested her head on Ino's shoulder. "It was never going to suck any less, right?"

Ino's smile was sympathetic. "I guess not. But I can tell you that I am certain he isn't going to give you a hard time."

"So, you already laid into him?"

"We might've had a few words…"

"I'd've loved to have seen that," Sakura said wistfully.

"Oh, yeah?" Ino grinned. "Because I can show you; here –" she tapped her own forehead "—to here."

"I'm not sure that is something I can handle on just one cup of coffee," Sakura muttered.

"Oh, you definitely want to have all synapses firing to appreciate this. His face was priceless," Ino stood and held out her hand. "C'mon. Let's get you a second cup of coffee, some breakfast, and go from there."

"Breakfast is good," Sakura agreed, and let Ino pull her up. "Priceless you say?"

Ino's eyes shone.

"Well…" Sakura's grin sharpened. "Maybe just a  _little_  peek…"

* * *

**8:00 AM KST  
Konoha, ANBU Base/locker rooms**

Hinata would be the first to admit that Shino and Kiba had been her only real friends for a very long time. She was grateful that the village required its shinobi to continue to train, and that her father never questioned this. It became more complicated once she became the Hyūga clan-mother. Technically she could be exempted from her shinobi duties, but she convinced her father that she would be a better example if she continued in her service to the Leaf.

" _This will have to change when you marry," he had said in a lofty tone._

" _That would be my husband's problem then," she had said with a half-smile that caught him completely off guard. "Or at least that is what Mother told me."_

He had been too stunned to contradict or reprimand her, and Hinata was pleased to note that the mention of any future marriage had disappeared. Unfortunately, with Hanabi coming of-age in the clan, it was bound to come up again, and soon.

Kiba and Shino stepped out of the men's locker room, unsurprised to find Hinata already dressed in ANBU's standard issue navy blue field uniform with the green flack vest.

"Yo, Hinata," Kiba smiled. "Just like old times! Let's go eat."

They went to a common area and broke out the breakfast including some cinnamon rolls, as well as some jerky for Kiba and Akamaru. Shino was taking another helping of wintermelon as he discussed the day's agenda.

"Today you will be tested individually and with us as your team. This is important. Why, you may ask? It is because, that with the targeting of kekkai genkai, you will also be targeted. This will show that you are capable of defending yourself, and that if you are given any field work that it be imperative to keep our team intact."

Hinata looked up from her cinnamon roll. "I don't think I will be given much field work. Lady Tsunade wants to me to stay as a part of Sakura's research team."

"Field medics are a commodity," Shino pointed out. "A sensory type medic is a rare commodity. This makes you more likely to be assigned. It is just something we have to keep in mind."

"God, I missed your cooking," Kiba said warmly, earning a stare from Shino. "What?" he shrugged. "You already said everything she needed to hear on the other stuff. Don't worry, Hinata," he reached over and put a hand over hers protectively. "We're going to be with you all the way today. Team Eight is back!" he smiled broadly.

She smiled gently at them both.

It was good to be back.

* * *

**7:00 AM KST  
Konoha, ANBU Base/Meeting room 9**

Naruto yawned in his seat across from Kakashi and Sai. "What is it with you people and early morning meetings this week," he griped, rubbing the heel of his hand into his eye. Sai had shown up at his house shortly after he decimated and yet another alarm clock, saying that they had an urgent meeting. Naruto had almost broken his neck trying to get ready, and was unnerved that a very pleasant night of sleep had given way to that kind of chaos.

"I was wondering the same thing," Kakashi drawled, not looking up from his book.

Naruto's eyes widened. "You don't know what this is about?"

"I called you here," Sai said, sitting at the table and taking out two scrolls.

"You did?" Naruto gaped at him. "What the hell, Sai? And why isn't Sasuke here? Isn't this a Team Kakashi thing?"

"It is," he said calmly, "but there is a very good reason he isn't here. I want to go over my research from yesterday with you both."

"What research?" Naruto stared at him.

"This scroll is the mission file Kakashi gave me yesterday before instructing me to consult with you and Sasuke about Dr. Haruno. And these," he gestured to a second scroll with a series of drawings scattered oddly about the page, "are my notes from my conversation with Sasuke." He flew through the hand seals that released the ink to scramble across the page and resettle into a loose outline form of his questions and answers from yesterday. "I didn't think Sasuke would allow me to take notes," he explained to his team mates. "He seemed more comfortable if I sketched while he spoke."

"He spoke?" Naruto sputtered. "About Sakura?!"

Sai nodded. "Extensively – for him."

Naruto and Kakashi exchanged glances and the white haired Jōnin slowly closed his book and put it away. This was promising.

"As I understand it, it would be unfair to reveal the totality of our conversation," Sai said, "but I do have some questions."

"Shoot," Kakashi folded his hands on the table.

"Kakashi – you said that you knew of Dr. Haruno because she was supposed to be on Team Seven; the precursor to Team Kakashi."

"No way!" Naruto blurted. "Sakura was supposed to be on our team? Man, that would've been AWESOME! I bet-"

"Focus, Naruto," Kakashi narrowed his visible eye at the suddenly wide-awake man.

"Y-yeah. Sorry, Sai."

"Her father was transferred to the Suna branch of the ASF before she could join your team, though, so you didn't have any contact with her, really. Are you acquainted at all?"

Kakashi rubbed his chin. "I accompanied the previous Hokage to Suna several times, but I did not directly interact with Sakura. I had no direct personal contact with her before she joined the hospital staff. I had to go to the hospital once or twice for treatment, or to deliver things to Tsunade, but we are acquaintances at best."

"And you, Naruto," Sai continued. "I understand you were classmates and remained in contact and as friend during her time in Suna. She attended Suna University early, and then transferred to Konoha University during the second half of your first year there. Was her reintegration into your circle of friends difficult?"

Naruto smiled fondly. "Nah. She slipped right back into our group of friends like she had never left. We were all glad to see her back, and she was over the whole Sasuke 'Fan girl' thing." Naruto put his hands behind his head smugly. "I knew that they'd have a relationship from day one," he winked. "It took them a while, but they got there in the end."

Sai looked confused. "Did she learn Temari's technique while in Suna? And should I be numbering the days from her arrival sequentially to better follow the progress of this discussion?"

Naruto stared at Sai blankly while Kakashi sighed.

"Sakura and most of the girls in her class were kind of obsessed with Sasuke when they were kids; it doesn't have anything to do with her choice of weaponry." At Sai's blank stare, Kakashi waved his hand. "I'll explain later. No need to number the days. What did Sasuke say when you asked him this question?"

Sai looked at his notes. "'Friends first; more later.'" He stated. "I asked him what 'more,' meant," he continued, "but-,"

"Let me guess," Naruto rolled his eyes. "He said they were 'close.'" Naruto punctuated 'close' with exaggerated air quotations. Sai's eyes widened, and he gave a soft bark of laughter. "Bastard never changes." He cracked open a bottle of water and took a hearty gulp. "Like you said, Sakura came to KU from Suna. It's not really my story to tell, but the short version is that they slowly became friends, and eventually started dating."

"Dating," Sai sat up straighter. "I have read about dating. That is where individuals spend time together building and testing the viability of a relationship. I understand that it is characterized by planned activities, fights, making up from fights, and engaging in various and escalating levels of physical contact, up to and including physical union of male and female genitalia accompanied by rhythmic movements."

Naruto stared at him, open mouthed, while Kakashi smothered a giggle.

"Coitus," Sai clarified.

"…?!"

"Intercour-

"I know what it is, Sai," Naruto blushed fiercely. "I'm just not sure I've ever heard it put… quite that way. And before you ask me," he held up a hand, "I will not discuss Sasuke or Sakura and sex. Ever. That goes way past anything I want to think about, and I sure as hell don't want to be thinking about it with you. That topic is off limits." Naruto shuddered.

Sai frowned. From what he had read, the presence or absence of sex in a relationship could be a major factor in the dynamics of said relationship. It seemed to him that if there was intelligence regarding that factor, it would be of mutual benefit to the team to know about it.

Naruto shook his head, guessing his train of thought. "Trust me," he said, punctuating each word with an index finger jab on the table. "Not. Our. Business."

Sai shifted uncomfortably. "So, they were dating. Without inquiring as to the physical implications, am I to assume that their relationship was rather involved?"

Naruto blew out a sigh. "He loved her, Sai," he said, looking up at the ceiling. "And she loved him. It was the most normal I saw him act since, well, ever. Growing up, he was a pretty big jerk – haughty, cocky, and a pain in the ass. He came from an elite family inside of an elite clan, and was younger brother to the youngest person to make Jōnin since a clan prodigy in the Third Hokage's time. When we were about eight years old, a bunch of people got sick in Konoha, and all of his family died except for his parents and brother. We were recruited to ANBU really early and were full Jōnin before we turned fifteen. We were comrades and friends. The year we turned sixteen, his parents were killed, and his brother was blamed. He lost everyone he cared about, then."

Naruto pinned Sai with a look. "You were in ROOT. How much do you know?"

Sai folded his hands and met Naruto's eyes evenly. "Sasuke swore revenge on his brother. He was persuaded to defect from Konoha and the ASF and join Orochimaru and the Sound. The cover story was that he had gone elsewhere to finish his education. Since the public is unaware of ANBU, there weren't suspicions on that front, but the event was big news in Konoha. The last of the Uchiha was gone, Sasuke left town, and Itachi became a rogue-nin and known criminal. Internal to ANBU, though, it was a massive deal; ROOT was aware of the situation."

"I'll bet," Naruto snorted. "Orochimaru was directly threatening Konoha and the Allied Shinobi Nations. He became the top target for all ANBU, and as it was assumed he would be using Sasuke against us, he was right up there in the bingo book - as you are well aware."

Sai nodded.

"It took us almost two years to get him back, and there were still more questions than answers. He was not an easy person to know. Sakura, though…" He trailed off with a fond smile. "She got under his skin. She was the only person smart and strong enough and kind enough to keep up with him on all the levels he needed."

"She was his girlfriend." Sai stated.

Naruto winced. "She never liked that word," he rubbed the back of his neck. "I think it reminded her too much of her fan girl days. She said that 'boyfriend and girlfriend' sounded too soporific."

Sai blinked twice.

"Probably sophomoric," Kakashi interjected, knowing that Naruto would never use either 'soporific' or 'sophomoric' unless he had overheard it somewhere.

"Nah, we were freshmen."

Sai looked to Kakashi blankly, who just shook his head. "Let it go," he muttered.

"But yeah," Naruto continued, oblivious to the side discussion, "she was his girlfriend. I think if all of that stuff hadn't gone down during our third year, he never would have left. They'd probably be married by now."

"You think Sasuke would have married Dr. Haruno?"

Naruto shot a look at Kakashi before looking back at the table. "Yeah. Yeah, I do," he said quietly.

"So," Sai looked to him openly, "What happened?"

Kakashi took up the narrative. "Sasuke got word that there was information about his parent's killer."

"Actually, he got a warning that he was still being targeted, and that the killer was dangerous." Naruto jumped back in. "He didn't tell anyone that part." He mumbled.

"Who gave him this warning?" Sai asked.

Naruto shook his head and Kakashi continued, "He never said. If had to guess, it was Itachi."

"His brother?" Sai furrowed his brow. "I thought he didn't trust-"

"Another story," Kakashi waved a hand impatiently. "I don't know for sure, but whatever information he got, it riled Sasuke up pretty badly. He made plans to leave pretty much immediately. We only found out after the fact."

"And Dr. Haruno tried to stop him," Sai stated. "Explain this to me," he handed a small portion of the translated scroll to Naruto.

Naruto saw the date and grimaced.

_"Haruno Sakura admitted under the care of Lady Tsunade. Was found on the bench of the road leading out of the village at approximately 4:00 AM by Hagane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo. When questioned, she gave the following account:_

_'I was supposed to meet Sasuke, but couldn't find him. It was late. I was worried, and went searching for him. I stumbled upon him on the road out of town. He told me he had sudden news about his family's murder, and he was going after the people responsible. Nothing would dissuade him. I tried to stop him; he must have knocked me out. When I came to, it was morning and I was on the bench.'_

_She was found disoriented. Given the nature of the information she might have inadvertently gained, she was placed in a restorative sleep, and her memories searched by Yamanaka Inoichi. Uchiha apparently gave no clue as to what information he had found, or his suspected perpetrator."_

Naruto sighed, heavily. "Sakura told me she had been having an early lunch with Sasuke, when he got a strange text message. He had become agitated and told her he had to take care of something, and he would see her later. He kissed her goodbye, and walked out of the restaurant. She never knew what it was about. Several people saw them there, though, and said he looked agitated. Inoichi even tried to see if she remembered any details subconsciously, but there was nothing helpful. She went back to her apartment but didn't get worried until later. She said she had a strange feeling and went looking for him. She made it to the outskirts of the village where she saw him on his way out of town. How she stumbled upon him, I'll never know. He must have been too preoccupied to notice she was there. She saw him leaving town, they had words, he thanked her, knocked her out cold, and left her on the bench before getting the heck out of dodge."

Sai put on his best fake smile and raised an index finger. "I don't know what dodge is or why he had to get out of it, but I believe this is where Kiba would say 'I call bullshit."

"Eh?" Naruto raised his eyebrows.

"You are telling me an elite Uchiha genius ANBU member even in the middle of emotional distress couldn't have sensed a kunoichi who was making no attempt to conceal herself as she searched for him on the only main path out of town? Why would he even  _take_  a footpath? You told me before he wanted revenge; you think he would have just leisurely walked out of town after getting that kind of news? His speed is incredible; if he wanted to go undetected, it would have been less than child's play for him."

Naruto continued to stare at Sai and opened his mouth to argue, but Kakashi stayed perfectly still.

"B-But Sakura was a wreck for ages after it happened," the blonde sputtered. "Kotetsu and Izumo found her on that bench at four in the morning. She was so disoriented, they even had her memory scanned to make sure she was recalling it accurately. Inoichi saw the same thing she described. Ino, too." Naruto grimaced, fairly certain his ears blistered for weeks once the Yamanaka woman had told him everything, including some words he had never heard so creatively combined before. "It might not make sense, but that is what happened."

Sai couldn't believe his luck. This was it. He had waited for months to copy the following move, and was never so certain that he was about to nail a socially appropriate gesture in all of his life.

Deliberately, he raised a hand to his mouth and coughed "Bullshit!"

Kakashi looked between them both and smiled behind his mask.

Sai silently congratulated himself with another of Kiba's trade phrases.

" _Nailed it._ "

"And now you know why I gave Sai that scroll," Kakashi said lazily as he leaned forward on the table. "He's right. It makes no sense. The only plausible explanation is that someone has altered Sakura's memories. She is highly resistant to genjutsu, and it would have taken someone with incredible skill to rewrite her memory so completely that neither Yamanaka could detect it. We need to find out what  _really_ happened five years ago, and why someone would go to all of this trouble."

Naruto stared at Kakashi "I know why I want to find out," he said bluntly. "Sakura is my friend, and so is Sasuke. But why is this only coming up now? And why aren't we asking Sasuke about this?"

"Sakura is formally a member of ANBU now," Kakashi said, "or at least she will be by the end of today. I said I didn't have personal contact with her before she started working at the hospital, and that is true. What I didn't tell you is that I was assigned by the previous Hokage to keep tabs on her."

"Why?" Naruto questioned, frowning. "Why would Master Sarutobi concern himself with Sakura?"

"Her father's transfer to Suna," Sai finally said, his dark eyes serious.

Naruto looked between Sai and Kakashi, exasperated. "What the hell does her dad have to do with anything?"

"I read his civilian file just in case. His work record was solid, but not exceptional. When the request for transfers came from the Suna branch, he was one of the members that accepted a position. Both he and his wife were competent enough to be of help in Suna, but not integral enough in Konoha to be irreplaceable." Sai looked to Kakashi, who nodded. "So… He wasn't sent to Suna for the ASF."

Kakashi gave Sai an appreciative look before nodding. "Kizashi is a good man, but unexceptional. The kind of employee that might be briefly missed, but easily replaced. There is only one reason he was sent to Suna."

Naruto finally caught on. "To get Sakura out of Konoha," he breathed. "But, why?"

"Master Sarutobi suspected Danzo was building up ROOT to threaten the ASF. A spy in the organization indicated he was tracking several of your class, and Sakura was one of them."

Sai frowned. "But there is nothing in her file that indicates why he would have wanted her then. There is no way she would be at the level she is now if she hadn't studied with Chiyo and Tsunade, and that training would not have been at his disposal." Sai knew the kind of potential that would have attracted Danzo – he knew better than anyone.

"Exactly," Kakashi sighed. "Of all of the people that gained his interest, she made the least sense. For that reason, she would be the hardest to protect. Master Sarutobi arranged for her to transfer and work with Chiyo where she would be safe. His intuition was found to be correct. Extensive files were found on her when we searched Danzo's base. They had been tampered with, however. Someone erased themselves from that file after Danzo's death."

"Don't tell me-," Naruto stared.

"I told you that Sakura is highly resistant to genjutsu. There are only a few people that could have rewritten her memories of that night so completely, and before you ask," he looked to them both, "That does not include Sasuke. Of the agents we rounded up, none of them would have had that ability. Someone did not want to be found out. Chances are, they are still out there."

"A spy?" Naruto gasped. "Are you serious? What did the files say?"

"They tracked her progress from the time she was eight years old until the day we took down Danzo. You understand, don't you?" Kakashi asked seriously. "There was information about her time with Chiyo, her ties in Suna, her relationship and friends at Konoha University. There is only one way someone could have gotten that information."

"They were on the inside," Sai narrowed his eyes. "You had a spy in ANBU."

Kakashi's jawline tightened. "HAVE a spy in ANBU," he corrected. "The spy was never caught. It is unlikely that he or she ever left. Now that Sakura is back,-"

"She could be in more danger than ever," Naruto finished grimly. "And if she is in danger,"

"Then Danzo's work might not be done yet," Sai concluded. "Which is why we can't tell Sasuke."

Kakashi nodded to his team. "As of today, you have both been assigned to a classified team to investigate these matters regarding the possible resurgence of ROOT. You will work with me."

" _With_  you?" Naruto raised his eyebrows. "Then who is captain?"

"Well at least you can ask  _some_  of the right questions," a voice drawled from the corner. The two younger men turned in surprise to see a white-haired man stand to his full height with a lazy stretch. "Guess I didn't waste too much time teaching this knucklehead," he rubbed his fist into the top of Naruto's head.

"Jiraya," Kakashi nodded his head as Naruto rubbed his gingerly. "I'm glad you made it back. The field/combat evaluations are today."

"Don't I know it," Jiraya smiled lasciviously. "I'm looking forward to seeing how the two kunoichi have … improved." He laughed a bit too loudly and Naruto shook his head.

"Same old pervy sage," he muttered.

* * *

**8:26 AM KST  
Konoha, Uchiha Towers. Penthouse.**

The file on Sakura began with her entrance to the academy.

Sai had asked what she had been like.

He hadn't really paid much attention to her back then. He hadn't paid attention to anyone back then. He had only wanted recognition from two people: his father and his brother. Of course, he remembered her being one of the girls that tried to fawn over him, but he also remembered that she had been one of the only ones to keep up with him academically.

As he slipped behind the wheel of his car, he decided that there were things about her file that bothered him.

For instance, Sakura was listed as a genjutsu type – a talent that normally got picked up on right away and developed – and yet there was no record of her ever using or attempting to use genjutsus.

All applications of her abilities appeared to be passive. Her scores showed she detected and dispelled genjutsus with great skill.

There was absolutely no record of her developing the skill beyond that.

This puzzled Sasuke, and he didn't like to be puzzled.

He parked his car and keyed his way into the elevator, using his keycard to go below street level so he could take the shuttle to the base.

When he passed the stop for the Hyūga hospital, he was reminded of Naruto's strange conviction that Hinata would somehow be an ally to their cause.

He scoffed out loud.

The idea that any Hyūga would willingly help an Uchiha was completely foreign to him.

He crossed his arms and tried to remember anything about the former Hyūga heir.

Sakura's files showed their class rankings. He remembered that he, Shino, Ino, and Sakura consistently scored well, but was genuinely surprised to find the Hyūga girl was listed right with the rest of them at the top of the class; at least academically speaking. That had taken Sasuke aback; he had no recollection of her accomplishments, but according to the file, she consistently scored as high as or sometimes higher than Sakura and Ino.

Ino, he remembered. Ino was the most accomplished kunoichi in their class. Her battle sense, jutsus, weapon usage, and practical intelligence set her apart. Sakura consistently answered questions correctly in class and could spout off random minutia regarding ninja laws and codes, but was only average with weapons and shinobi skills.

And Hinata….?

Sasuke found he had not a single memory of Hinata as a student.

He frowned. Their clans were not known to be much more than civil to one another, so he wasn't really surprised that he was dismissive of her. No. What unnerved him was that while he prided himself on noticing the world around him, he had little more than a cursory recollection of the Hyūga girl.

Unsurprisingly, he was first to the meeting, so he flicked on the kettle to make himself a cup of tea, picking through the available teabags. He would've preferred a stove-top kettle and loose-leaf tea; he was old-fashioned when it came to tea, and had a deep appreciation for it. He supposed it was left over from his mother, although if he thought about it, Itachi had always been fond of a good pot of tea.

" _Drink this. It will make you feel better."_

He jolted away from the counter as fragments of memories came bubbling up to the surface from depths unknown.

_Walking home from school with Itachi. Not feeling well... A Hyūga woman approaching… The small figure standing – no – hiding behind her…his brother shoving him down into a polite bow._

" _Lady Hyūga. How may I help you?"_

_A gentle smile, and a voice like kindness and gentle rain._

_His brain was muddled with the early stages of fever, and he looked to his classmate for an explanation, but she kept her head politely lowered and her hands clasped in front of her._

_The world tilted on its axis._

_Dizziness. Disorientation._

_A cool hand on his forehead._

_"Drink this, little brother."_

_Three days in and out of a delirious state. Waking in a cold sweat the night his fever broke to find Itachi sitting on his bed, staring out of the window. Itachi turning to look at him with a pale, tell-tale trace of a tear damp on his cheek_

The Clan Plague.

The strange illness that had swept through Konoha, leaving his immediate family as the only Uchiha survivors. They were also the only family that hadn't needed to go to the hospital…

Sasuke tried to call forth any memories from that time, but found nothing more than a vague recollection of a girl with short hair and the Hyūga eyes.

"Uchiha," a commanding voice interrupted his ruminations. He turned to find Tsunade standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips. "With me," she motioned before striding down the hall.

Sasuke gathered his tea while her "I don't like to be kept waiting," rang with irritation from down the hall.

"In here," she ushered him into a room. "One-way observation area of the training and testing arena. I expect a full report on the new recruits. Put those famous eyes of yours to good use," she pinned him with a stare. "I don't want you to miss a second." Sasuke maintained eye contact ignoring the niggling suspicion forming at the back of his mind. "Your team will join you shortly," she turned to leave. "You will not quit this room until you are released. This is an official mission, understand Uchiha?"

"Ha," he nodded. (She smirked. It wasn't a full 'hai,' but it was a half-step up from his normally grunted 'hn.')

"Enjoy the show," she grinned wickedly, and he knew in an instant what that gleam in her eyes meant. "Every. Damned. Second." The soft click of the door behind her resounded ominously in the silence of the room. He took a deep breath and turned to face the one-way glass behind him. The speakers in the room began to buzz quietly, and the room was soon filled with the white noise from the area below him.

"Report to the holding area for the Training Arena, Hyūga Hinata and Haruno Sakura."

Sasuke's world spun and collided in a burst of light before his eyes as the dark arena lighting flared to life. A series of monitors flicked on in the room, casting an eerie glow on the dark walls. His eyes darted to the screens; there were close-ups of several of the areas below. He snorted. With his eyes, he didn't need the monitors. He might need something to punch, but he didn't need the monitors.

A familiar hand was firm on his shoulder. He didn't bother to turn around, and was glad the idiot had been smart enough to allow himself to be sensed before he did something as potentially lethal as touching him. He flicked a menacing glare at Naruto, but the serious look in his blue eyes placated his building rage. Sasuke had been ready for the jibes and the jokes. He had not been ready for the fierce determination and loyalty that met his piercing stare. A second of innate understanding passed between the long-time friends and rivals, and Sasuke gave a sharp nod.

He wasn't in this alone.

* * *

_*Worth noting that the order of events/timeline in this AU is different than canon._

_When Naruto and friends were:_  
_8: Clan plague - wiped out Uchiha clan except for Sasuke/Itachi and parents (canon timing of the massacre)_  
_12 - graduated from genin, and Sakura left for Suna_  
_15 - Sasuke/Naruto recruited to ANBU/already Jonin._  
_16: Fugaku and Mikoto murdered, presumably by Itachi. Sasuke defects and joins Orochimaru/Sound_  
_16/17: Sakura goes to Suna U early, Sasuke retrieval efforts_  
_18: Sasuke returns to ANBU, enrolls at KU (Sakura transfers to Konoha U 2nd half of year to study with Tsunade)_  
_20: Sasuke leaves Konoha to go after Danzo_  
_20-22: efforts to break down ROOT/eliminate Danzo (Sakura at KU)_  
_22-present: rebuilding ANBU after Danzo's attempted coup._  
_They are all turning 26 this year, Konohamaru will be 22 in December, Hanabi is turning 20._

 

_**Also worth noting: Sakura in canon was a full medic ninja by the time she was 16. The University system would be a relatively young thing in the Naruto world; becoming a doctor wouldn't be the massive, extended educational commitment it is today. It would be structured more as a very intensive internship, and would rely heavily on a combination of technology and advanced chakra techniques. No "Med school" as we would think of it. Just things I think about and thought I'd share._

_Thank you so much for returning to this story, friends! - GL_


	6. Watch What Happens

_The original chapter six was **18, 876**  words long. It contained bits of the last two chapters, and this chapter, as well as some things going forward. (Chapter seven was the shortest at only _ _2793 words long, and it is part of the end of this chapter now.) Pretty hefty, right? Still not the longest of the old story. The longest "chapter" was **49,200**  words, and I split it into chapters 10, 11, 12, and 13. Not happening this time around, friends!_

_**So where did Konohamaru go after talking to Hanabi? To the story **Bonfire Nights.**  That story will run concurrently with this one. You don't have to read both... but you might miss a few things if you don't. NejiTen friends - you will want to read both. Just sayin'_

* * *

**You Must Believe in Spring  
Chapter Six: Watch What Happens**

* * *

**Wednesday, March 25** **th** **9:00 AM KST  
Konoha, ANBU Base/Training Arena**

Hinata stepped into the training arena and blinked at the bright lights, willing her heartbeat to regulate.

She soon found a large, furry nose pushing her hand up to rest on his head. She smiled at Akamaru and tightened her fingers in his fur. "Thanks, Akamaru," she whispered to him, taking comfort in the feel of his fur between her fingers.

Something in the air buzzed, and she instinctively activated her Byakugan. Out of nowhere, trees shot up from the ground, the training posts disappeared, and the entire terrain of the area morphed into something out of the forests of Konoha. A man with dark, widely spaced eyes appeared before her.

"Yamato-sensei," she nodded, "Forgive me for not greeting you properly," she kept her eyes on him. Although she recognized the man as one who had collaborated with her team on several occasions, she knew better than to bow to someone that might, for today's purposes, be an enemy.

He bowed to her with an approving smile. "You have two team mates to find, and another team to beat," he informed her. "Several ANBU members will be evaluating your performance. At this level, there will be no intervention unless an agent is near death. Do you understand?"

"Yes," she nodded again, and his smile widened.

"Good luck, Hinata." He disappeared just in time to for her to artfully dodge several kunai that buried themselves in a tree behind her. Hinata felt her heartbeat level out as she focused on her goal.

"Are you ready, Akamaru?"

He gave two, short, sharp barks.

"Find Shino first," she said, her eyes scanning the area. Akamaru could always find Kiba; she needed to be sure that she secured the ally that would be harder to find on her own. She saw his familiar chakra pattern ahead and to her left. Akamaru bobbed his head once - he sensed the same thing. "Good boy," she murmured.

They wasting no time following their respective senses to where Shino waited, leaning against a tree.

With less than a thought, Hinata leaped at her teammate rather than next to him, effectively knocking them both away from a rain of senbon that embedded in the tree. She saw the grouping and looked up to Shino. "Tenten?"

"It would appear so."

Hinata set her jaw more firmly. Without a word, they both made their way to Kiba who waved cheerily at them.

"Good job!" he gave her a thumbs up. "Now let's go-" POOF!

He disappeared as her kunai sailed straight through him.

"Good eyes," Shino complimented her as she retrieved her weapon from the ground. It was only a moment later that they found the real Kiba, grinning wolfishly from where he leaned up against a rock formation.

"Nice," he complimented her before the three of them took off to where three other chakra signatures were gathering.

Kiba sniffed the air and looked sidelong at Hinata.

"I know," she said, pounding her foot off of the tree branch to leap forward.

Team Kurenai operated with a seamless synchronicity borne of countless hours of training, and an ironclad trust in one another. When a smoke bomb sailed over their heads to smash into a tree just in front of Kiba, Shino jumped back to cover as Hinata charged ahead, ripping a piece of fabric out of her pocket and breaking a vial of liquid she had stashed inside of it. They each carried one, anticipating an attack on Kiba's heightened senses. Kiba tripped on the next tree branch, and she dove to break his fall before covering his mouth and nose with the fabric. His eyes were at half mast, but she could tell from the way they crinkled at the corner, he was trying to smile at her. She gave him a small smile in return, but felt his body tense as he darted his eyes to the side. She ducked just in time to miss a flying kick from Lee.

"I am sorry, Hinata," he said apologetically. "I have to fight with the full power of youth against you."

Shino dropped in front of her. "He knows how to counteract Neji. Get Kiba up and running and then go find Tenten."

Kiba stood on his own. "I'm good," he said, retying the mask around his face. "Shino, you go after Neji." The two shinobi flickered out of sight.

"I'd much rather spar with you, Kiba," Lee smiled brightly. "I don't feel nearly as guilty unleashing the Blue Beast of Konoha on a fellow male!"

Kiba grinned behind the mask. "Just try it."

.  
.

Tenten was in the trees setting a trap, swiping impatiently at something that flicked across her face. She had heard Shino; she had to finish this and get to Neji before Hinata got over to her. "They are headed your way," she said into her earpiece. A detonation resounded off to the left - one of her traps had been triggered. Her grin was sharp.

"Got one!"

" _Sounds like they found one of your gifts,"_ Neji's voice was smug over the earpiece. " _You do remember that when this is over, I have to return Hinata to my Uncle intact?"_

 _"_ I remember," she said dryly. "You ready for your part of the plan?"

Neji's voice crackled in her earpiece.

"Interference," she frowned. "Repeat."

Neji's voice devolved further into unintelligible nonsense, the crackling giving way to a high-pitched feedback.

"Damn it," she yanked out the earpiece, jamming a finger against her ear canal. "What gives?"

She inspected the communicator and almost scrambled halfway up the tree when several bugs crawled out, lazily chomping on some sparking electronic components.

"Son of a-!"

"Apologies, Tenten," Shino's sonorous voice distorted by the ringing in her ears was the last thing she heard before everything went dark. Shino carried her down and carefully placed her at the base of the tree while Hinata put a hand to her head. With a pulse of chakra, she placed Tenten into a suspended sleep to eliminate her from the round. She lingered a half moment longer to heal what would have been a bruise at the back of her neck. In this instance it was a kindness paid a comrade. In the field, it was a way to obscure that the person had been attacked in the first place.

Akamaru and Kiba sailed overhead, with Lee in close pursuit. "You cannot evade my YOUTH!" he cried out.

"I'm sure as hell gonna try," Kiba called back over his shoulder, leading Lee away from them. Hinata and Shino said nothing as they moved on to find Neji. They were not generally long range fighters; once they realized that they were fighting Gai's team they knew that Tenten had to be taken out of the equation. Lee and Neji depended largely on close range for their attacks, and would leverage her skills against them to either force them into or away from an opponent.

Hinata kept a sharp look out for traps; Tenten might be knocked out, but that didn't take her fully out of the game. She remembered her as being cunning and lightning fast at setting traps. As if to verify her train of thought, she spotted a web of tripwires with her Byakugan.

"Trip wires ahead."

They veered to a different path but an explosion prevented them from changing direction.

"She is pushing us to that clearing," Shino nodded to the area ahead. "Why you ask? Because my insects have verified that there are traps surrounding this area. That means that the objective is to force us into combat with-"

"Behind you!"

Shino barely had enough time to evade the kunai/explosive tag combination that launched toward him.

Separated, Hinata was forced into the clearing while Shino was forced back into the trees. Shino tried to join her, but grimaced as he realized he was mired in some sticky substance that slowed his insects and prevented him from moving. He tapped his earpiece, "Trapped," he said in a clipped tone. "It will take me some time, Hinata."

"Understood," she turned to the center of the clearing, certain about what was coming.

Neji did not disappoint.

"Hinata," he dipped his head.

A smile flitted across her lips.

"Neji."

They were not "Lady Hinata" or "Brother Neji" here.

Here, they were opponents.

Here, they were equals.

They stood quietly for half a heartbeat longer before dropping into their respective stances. Hinata's chakra pooled and flared around her hands as they circled one another. Neji warned her that he may have to fight her, and he would not be able to hold back. She understood that, just as she knew he was the better fighter. A protracted, drawn out fight would not end in her favor. Luckily, she wasn't planning on one.

Their fight was an agile ballet, deadly in its grace. He'd nearly shut off the chakra in her left arm; she nearly did the same to his right. She felt her heart hammer in her chest, and she willed it to regulate.

" _Just a little longer,"_  she thought.

Neji was stronger and faster, that was certain, but she was quick and more flexible. She leaned back to a ridiculous angle to allow his attack to sail over her.

He dropped into an all-too familiar stance, and met her eyes in challenge.

"You're in range."

She leaped backward, flinging several kunai in his direction as Shino did the same from his perch in the tree. Neji knocked the first few away with his own kunai before beginning his Eight Trigrams Palm Rotating Heaven technique. Hinata and Shino returned fire just as Kiba exploded onto the scene, jumping toward Neji with Lee right behind him. At the last second, Akamaru jumped and knocked Lee into Neji's ultimate defense before carrying Kiba to safety. Lee was sent flying back into a tree and knocked out, leaving Neji to find two of the three members of Team Eight with kunai pointing to his throat, the third had deployed a swarm of insects to hover nearby. He slowly raised his hands and smiled at his cousin with obvious pride.

"I concede victory."

Tsunade's voice came over the speaker.

_"The exercise is over. Team Eight Wins."_

.

Kiba lowered his weapon. "Too bad that worked," he pocketed his kunai. "Next up was dynamic marking." Neji grimaced while Hinata smiled. "Better go round up the others," Kiba continued. "I'll get Tenten - you check on Lee, Hinata."

Lee hadn't taken long to recover; they had managed to knock him out just long enough to be neutralized. He was already standing when Hinata crossed the short distance to him. "Ah, Hinata!" he grabbed her shoulders enthusiastically. "Well done! I am not surprised that Neji's beautiful cousin was so youthful in her performance!"

"Lee…," Neji warned.

"Right!" he snapped to with a salute. "See you in the observation area!" he gave his signature 'Nice Guy' pose before disappearing from the arena.

Shino dropped down from the tree as Akamaru bounded over carrying Kiba who was holding an unconscious Tenten. Hinata released the induced sleep with a press of a hand to her forehead. Tenten's eyes fluttered open, and she woke to Kiba's slow smile. "Well hello there, Sleeping Beauty."

"Hello, yourself," she let him help her to standing. Shino coughed discretely, while Neji narrowed his eyes. "You got me good," she gave Shino a wry smile. "Both of you," she amended, with a nod to Hinata.

Yamato appeared next to them.

"We need to reset for the next match," he informed them. "A medic is waiting or you in the holding areas. Tenten - are you alright to proceed?"

"Yeah. Still a little creeped out by Shino's trick but other than that, I'm alright. You owe me a new earpiece, by the way," she turned to Shino.

"Noted."

"Then we shall proceed," Yamato ignored their exchange. "I shall repair the arena. Tenten, set up the artillery and basic skills area. Since Haruno Sakura is a registered Suna-nin, we will be doing a brief skills check before her field evaluation. Neji, for the purposes of this exercise, you are officially her sponsor. You are to remain in the arena for the duration of her testing. She is being escorted down as we speak."

"Understood."

"Team Kurenai, dismissed." With that, he melted back toward the trees.

"Welp!" Kiba clapped his hands together, "Guess that's our cue. Stay out of trouble," he winked at Tenten before following his team from the arena.

Tenten turned to find Neji scowling deeply at Kiba's retreating back. "He didn't get you with dynamic marking, did he?" she sniffed delicately, ignoring his murderous glare. She shrugged and fished a new earpiece out of her pocket. "Stupid bugs," she shuddered.

"I'm going to go set up the artillery. You get Haruno in place," she nodded to the pink-haired kunoichi that was approaching them before she flicked out of sight.

Neji met Sakura part way. "Are you ready?"

"Absolutely," she smiled as she cracked her knuckles. "Been a while since I could cut loose!"

"Well then," he gave a knowing smirk, having spotted a familiar chakra signature in Observation Deck 7, "show them what you've got."

* * *

**9:25 AM KST  
Konoha, ANBU Base/Observation Deck 7**

"Aw, man, did you see that?" Naruto slapped his palms on his thighs. "Man, I was worried about Team Eight going up against those guys, but that was great!"

"I am surprised that Neji and Hinata did not spar more," Sai frowned. "I had been looking forward to a duel between gentle fist users."

Kakashi shook his head. "Neji is one of the best agents we have, and a genius in his own right, well on his way to surpassing even Hiashi. By all accounts, Hinata is excellent with their clan technique, but she was smart enough not to have the exercise devolve into a one-on-one with her cousin. She is supposed to be quite clever." He added.

Sasuke only half listened to the chatter around him.

He was still considering the pale, raven haired Hyūga, and his vague, recently unearthed memory from the Clan Plague. While she clearly was no longer the same child from the Academy, there was a gentleness in her face that seemed to have remained the same. He found himself thinking: " _She looks like her mother._ " Still, he could not but wonder what use Naruto thought she was going to be to their - his - cause.

It was the collective and sudden silence from his team that broke his concentration, and drew his eyes back to the arena.

Sasuke would know that walk anywhere, pink hair or no pink hair. Without thinking, he activated his Sharingan, occasionally flicking his gaze to the monitors in the room.

Her hair was longer than it used to be, and was pulled into a ponytail. He focused on the lavender diamond on her forehead, proof that Tsunade's disciple had completed her training. He memorized every detail, his face completely impassive. That was, until Neji spoke with her. Until she smiled at Neji. Until Neji touched her. Until Neji looked to where he must have known they were standing. Sasuke worked a muscle in his jaw and willed himself to stay calm. Five years had been a very long time.

"Haruno, Sakura." Tsunade's voice boomed over the speaker. "As you are officially registered as a Suna shinobi, there will be a quick battery of tests to assess basic skills. Hyūga Neji will proctor."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, and pretending he didn't feel the color rise to his cheeks. Neji must've spotted him with the Byakugan, since he subtly, and intentionally mouthed the words "Watch closely, Uchiha."

"It's not fair," Naruto complained. "You can both use Sharingan to get a better view."

Sasuke shot a look to Kakashi, who met his gaze, one eye a spiral of crimson and black.

Sasuke knew that look.

That was the " _Calm the #$%^ down, Uchiha_ " look.

Sakura went through a fast battery of shurikenjutsu, evading a barrage of weapons undoubtedly fired from Tenten, running across water and up trees, and executing basic jutsus.

"C'mon, get to the good stuff," Naruto grumbled.

"Strength testing," Neji called out.

Sakura looked around as if waiting for permission. Neji put a hand to his ear before stepping back. "Go ahead," he sighed. He signaled and soon Tenten was by his side, and they flicked out of sight.

"What is she up to?" Naruto went up to the window and practically pressed his nose against the glass.

Sakura's hand began to glow brightly as she strode confidently to the middle of an open area.

"I-Is the ground breaking under her feet?" Naruto asked incredulously.

Sakura pulled a fist back and slammed it into the ground with a triumphant "SHANNARO!" There was a deafening and resounding blast as the earth crumbled and buckled under the force of her blow, the shock emanating out from her fist to rumble through the training ground, uprooting trees, throwing dirt and debris into the air, and disrupting the sound feed to the observation rooms. A tree slammed into the window, and Naruto fell on his backside, trying to dodge, much to Sai's amusement.

When the dirt and air cleared, the entire training ground was destroyed. Trees were uprooted, debris was everywhere, and Sakura stood triumphantly at the midpoint of the blast radius. Neji and Tenten flickered back in behind her; apparently, they had known what to expect and gotten the hell out of the way.

"Strength testing complete," Neji said dryly.

"What the hell was THAT?" Naruto asked, standing up shakily.

"That," Kakashi pulled his forehead protector back over his eye, "was what happens when you let Tsunade's apprentice loose. You should see what her teacher can do."

"O-obaachan can do that?" Naruto stuttered.

"Not exactly," Kakashi shrugged.

Naruto began to sigh in relief, "Oh, thank-,"

"She's worse." Kakashi finished.

A collective shudder passed through them all.

Sasuke said nothing, but a single bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face. He fought to control his racing pulse and to reign in a heady mix of surprise, dread, fear, and quite possibly excitement. He frowned, displeased with his own reaction - which is to say, he was displeased he reacted in any capacity - and quickly reasserted his icy self control.

" _Yamato. Report and reset the Training Arena_ ," Tsunade's voice rang proudly over the loudspeaker. " _Proctors, take Haruno Sakura back to the holding area_."

"How do you even follow that up?" Naruto motioned to the destruction in the arena. "If that doesn't say 'she's in, let's go home,' I don't know what does."

"Dr. Haruno still has to complete the team exercise," Sai interjected.

"It should be a good match," Kakashi rubbed his chin.

"Yeah?" Naruto's eyes brightened. "What makes you say so?"

"Well," Kakashi crossed his arms, "or starters..."

Sasuke tuned out their conversation, his calm restored. In moments, the exercises would be over and he could get home, and clear the day from his mind. He grimaced as Neji touched Sakura's arm to lead her to the exit with Tenten right behind them.

It might all be over soon, but couldn't be over soon enough.

* * *

**9:45 AM KST  
Konoha, ANBU Base/Training Arena Holding Area #3**

Sakura, Neji, and Tenten did as asked, running into a sighing Yamato on his way to reset the arena.

"Sorry!" Sakura called after him.

"Don't lie, Haruno," Tenten snorted. "You loved every second of that."

"Yeah," she smiled. "I kinda did."

"Very impressive," Neji smiled smoothly down at her.

"Thanks, boss," she nudged his arm, her smile brilliant.

"Man, and you get mad about me bringing weapons into the hospital," Tenten eyed them both. "How are you classified; as a tank?"

Sakura laughed as Tenten opened the door to the holding/observation area.

"Sakura!" Kiba jumped up. "That was amazing!"

"Well done," Hinata beamed.

"You, too," Sakura hugged her friend. "I knew you'd be great."

Hinata flushed at the compliment. "Thanks."

"That's our team mate," Kiba gloated. He nudged Tenten. "How's the head?"

"Fine, thanks to your teammate," she looked to Hinata. "Or no thanks to your teammate," she shot Shino a look.

"Yeah," Kiba looped an arm over her shoulder. "You have to watch Shino – he gets wild when he's in the field."

"That is an incredibly stupid and untrue remark," Shino muttered. "That is because-,"

" _Neji_ ," Shizune's voice came over the intercom. " _Please escort Sakura to the arena when she is called. Tenten, please remain with Team Eight for the remainder of the exercises._ "

With an "Understood," from Neji and a "Got it" from Tenten, the speaker went silent.

"Hanging out with the cool kids?" Kiba looked down at Tenten, his arm still draped easily over her shoulder.

"Looks like it," she grinned back. "We going to take bets on the next match?"

"You know it." Kiba looked at Sakura. "Got any tips, Doctor? I'm guessing you'll end the match in under five minutes."

Sakura laughed. "We'll see. Neji?" she looked over to her friend. "Are you alright? Your color is a little off."

Neji snapped his attention back to Sakura with a curt nod. "Sorry. My mind was… somewhere else."

Tenten snorted and headed over to the small fridge in the corner of the room grabbing out bottles of water and tossing them to her friends. "He's just getting old and out of shape, Sakura," she chucked a bottle of water at him that he caught easily. "Can't keep up with the young kids."

"Says the team mate that was unconscious the longest," he drawled.

"Not my fault that they were smart enough to go after the biggest threat first. At least I didn't have to hear anything about 'youth' for a while. I needed a break."

Sakura laughed at the banter between the two before running a green palm across Neji's forehead quickly. "You seem fine," she smiled. She turned to take the water bottle Tenten handed her. "You ok?"

"Hinata took care of me," Tenten waved her away. "Alright!" She whipped out a pad and a pen from one of her flack vest pockets. "Let's figure out what we're betting on for this fight. And don't think you are getting out of this, Hyūga," she pointed her pen at Neji. "You still owe me from the last time we bet on a match. I'm counting on a hell of a fight," she winked at Sakura. "At least five minutes and one second's worth."

"Hey!" Kiba called out. "No fair!"

Sakura pulled her gloves more firmly onto her hands. "I'll see what I can do."

* * *

**9:50 AM KST  
Konoha, ANBU Base/Observation Deck 7**

"Okay, but did you SEE that?!" Konohamaru whipped around, pointing out the window for possibly the tenth time

"I think we caught it," Shikamaru sighed.

"I knew she could do it," Ino crowed. "That's our girl!"

Shikamaru glanced over to Temari who had watched everything in silence. He had been expecting more proprietary remarks about Sakura being a Sand Shinobi, or not needing to prove anything to the Leaf, but she had remained mute. The glint in her eyes had yet to fade from their early morning encounter with the messenger hawk; that combined with her unusual silence made him increasingly wary.

"She's sure come a long way," Chōji said, drumming his fingers on his leg. "When are Kiba and the others coming up?"

"They won't bring Hinata up here until Tsunade gives the final word," Ino nodded to the arena. "She isn't fully ANBU until this exercise is over."

The door flew open and Guy and Lee came running in. "DID YOU SEE THAT FANTASTIC DISPLAY OF YOUTH?!" Guy bellowed, his eyes wide, his volume set to eleven.

Shikamaru sighed. Temari flicked a gaze down to the arena and then over to Ino. "Little Kunoichi's room?" she asked.

"Down the hall, to the left," Ino jerked her head. "You want me to show you?"

"Nah – I just get turned around in this part of the base. See you in a bit." She headed out of the door, and Shikamaru felt a very specific pain in the side of his head. She was up to something – of that he was certain. It wasn't as if she was going to lead an assault on Konoha, but he knew without a doubt that that woman had a plan, and he wasn't going to like it. He smothered a sigh, and watched Yamato reconstruct the training ground as his mind began similarly constructing and discarding a myriad of potential scenarios from the data she had given him so far.

" _Proctor Hyūga, please escort Haruno Sakura to the training area,_ " Tsunade's voice rang in the room, and they all eagerly took their seats.

"How are they going to do the next test?" Chōji jerked a thumb toward the window. "I thought Sakura's team wasn't even made up of ASF members; will they team her up with one of our teams?"

Ino looked out over the training grounds. "There are two teams ready to go - Genma's and Aoba's. Shizune and Sakura will draw lots to see who goes with what team."

"Oh?" Chōji cocked his head to the side. "I can see where including Shizune makes sense - she's probably the only medic-nin that can really match Sakura - but why draw lots for the teams?"

"The medic-nin is often assigned to a team at random, and has to learn that team quickly," Konohamaru explained. "Grandfather says that Lady Tsunade is meticulous in teaching her students about how to analyze and unify a team."

Everyone stared at him.

"What?" he crossed his arms petulantly. "I  _know_  things. I pay  _attention."_

"Hm," Guy rubbed his chin, oblivious to the side conversation. "I heard something about a request for clearance from the barrier corps to allow a team to transport in if need be. Of course," he folded his arms, "I was on my 300th lap around the base on my hands at the time. I might have heard incorrectly."

Shikamaru's eyes snapped open wide, and the pieces of the puzzle suddenly fell into place.

"Shit," he jumped up – surprising everyone in the room – and darted over to the window overlooking the training area. He saw Neji standing next to Sakura with his hand on his earpiece. He turned to relay a message to her.

" _Haruno Sakura. As your team was unable to attend this exercise, a team will be assigned to you for-"_

Suddenly, there were two more people on the training ground. " _Who said her team couldn't attend?_ " A familiar voice challenged. With a groan, he saw that both Neji and Sakura were staring in surprise at Temari and Kankurō.

" _You shouldn't be up_ ," they could hear Sakura admonish the puppet master, who folded his arms with an inelegant snort.

" _You think I'd miss this?_ " he asked, ruffling her hair.

Konohamaru frowned. "That doesn't make sense. Aren't they the Kazegage's body guards? Why would they be part of one of the random teams?"

Temari took out a scroll and in one swift motion broke the seal. There was a burst of light and wind that sent the dust in the arena flying.

Shikamaru stared down at the arena, gradually able to make out the people standing next to an unusually perplexed Hyūga Neji.

Sakura, apprentice to Chiyo and Tsunade.

Kankurō; The Sand and ANBU's most accomplished puppet master.

Temari; one of the most fearsome kunoichi's in ANBU.

Gaara: Jinchuriki, Kazekage, and one of the top rated and deadliest members of ANBU.

"Because," Shikamaru grimaced as he took in the pale man with the red hair, the eerily blue eyes, and the giant gourd of sand on his back. "They ARE her team."

* * *

**10:02 AM KST  
Undisclosed Location**

The towering cylindrical vats of bubbling liquid glowed an eerie green in the dark room. On paper in some official file in Konoha, this facility had been destroyed by fire, gutted, and abandoned ages ago. That was the beautiful thing about paper – it didn't know whether or not it told a lie, and neither did the reader. Deep in the underground lair, though, the hum of machinery was low and constant. Each cylinder held test subjects suspended in viscous liquid, their mouths and noses covered by a breathing apparatus, and bodies crisscrossed with a bazaar and sinister network of wires and patches.

The figure that walked the main aisle of the disturbing glass menagerie darted a gaze over the rows of specimens, watching his reflection bend and warp across each vessel passed. He paused and raised a hand to the glass, touching it ever so gingerly before breaking contact and striding to the end of the hall.

He pushed through the large double doors, allowing his eyes to adjust to the bright lights and white walls of the sterile laboratory. The specimens fared better if they were stored in dark, cool areas where their life support chambers could function in quiet and macabre efficiency. It was here, though, that he did his work. Here he devoted hours and hours to his research and obsessions. He checked the equipment for possibly the hundredth time before jotting down a few key notes in a notebook and sealing it in a scroll.

The main door to the laboratory opened, and he turned to face the newcomers. "Ah," the light glared off of his glasses as he pushed them up his nose. "Madara. Rokuro. How good of you to come." The masked man came forward, the one eye visible in his orange mask glowed red and the older, cloaked man stepped behind him.

"What do you want, Kabuto," Madara asked, his voice stern. "I told you I was not to be disturbed."

"I understand," Kabuto said, all polite smiles, "But I think you are going to be pleased with our latest experiment." Kabuto lead them through another giant set of doors, this time taking them down a winding path. They came to an opening underground and looked up to the figure of a man encased in the wall; his torso jutting out as if he had been planted there. "It took years of searching," Kabuto said in a hushed and reverent tone, "but we finally found the right base. It coincides with the research I found; this is indeed Hashirama. His cells have been implanted here. Somehow this place escaped discovery after the fourth shinobi war; it faded into legend."

"This is not news, Kabuto," Rokuro spoke up, his voice sharp. "We validated this location over a year ago. What is your point?"

Kabuto gave a gleeful, dark chuckle. "It means that I have finally been able to culture and harvest those cells, and I made a remarkable discovery. I can recreate the experiments detailed in my research, and begin building our army."

"No reanimations," Madara said unequivocally. "The dead have earned their peace."

Kabuto's smile was disturbingly smug. "This doesn't require the dead." He didn't have any qualms about using the dead, but it did make his job easier to avoid it. "But it does mean one crucial thing."

"And that would be?" Rokuro asked peevishly.

"It means that we can finally begin the last phase. It is time to infiltrate ANBU."

Madara looked back and forth between the men.

"Then let it begin," he said darkly. He turned on his heel and left them to watch his back as he made his way back through the lab and down a separate corridor.

He opened the door to the smaller, private lab and locked it firmly behind him. It was here that he removed his mask, his gloves, his cloak, and his weariness. He rubbed his hands to his eyes. He looked older than his years; one side of his face smooth and unmarred, the other scarred and wrinkled. He laughed mirthlessly to himself. It was a fitting representation of what his life had become. He was half who he had been, and half what he was forced to become. This new whole was a person no one truly knew, and he used the mask and borrowed identity to keep it that way.

But he would not hide his true self here. Not in front of her.

The soft, pale white light that danced across his skin came from the machinery housed in the laboratory. There, encased in a larger and more elaborate apparatus than the cylinders of the main lab, a woman floated peacefully. Her hair was long and brown, her eyes were closed. Where the other tenants in the lab had appeared to be vegetative, she appeared to be no more than asleep. Where their color was a sickly, pale green, hers was healthy. The purple markings on her face were vibrant, and her smile was gentle. She looked for all the world that at any moment she would wake up, stretch from a long sleep, and laugh.

He traced his hand over the glass, longingly.

But she wasn't going to wake up.

She wasn't going to wake entwined in his arms, her smooth, pale skin warm satin against his own. She wasn't going to roll over in their bed and look to him with those wide, gentle eyes before smiling a slow smile and kissing him good morning. She wasn't going to fill his days with the gentle tenderness that was so uniquely her as to still haunt him even though he had not held her to his heart in years. She wasn't going to gently tease him to be on time, or ask him about the old ladies that seemed to always need his help, or just sit with her head on his shoulder and listen to the rain. She wasn't going to lie in the moonlight, her hair spilling across the pillow, her skin glowing like some other-worldly being before enveloping him in her love and sealing her place in his soul.

That had been their life once.

It had been a quiet life.

It had been a loving life.

It had been a life that was stolen.

She had suffered a betrayal and an attack that had nearly ended her life. It was all he could do to bring her back to the man who promised to save her. In the end, all that could be done was to put her in a semi-stasis to protect her. She had been his everything once, and she would be again. Just as soon as he could make the trade.

He paused.

That was not true.

She was still his everything.

That had never changed.

His promise to love and protect her above all others was as true at that very moment as it had been the day they were married.

"I promise, Rin," he said with a quiet and reverent tone. "I will bring you back."

* * *

**10:15 AM KST  
Undisclosed Location**

The bright, harsh, white light was glaring, penetrating her closed eyelids. Low mumbles of voices were ringing in her ears as she fought to swim to the top of her consciousness, and out of the depths of the drug induced stupor into which they had submerged her. She focused all of her strength and will – which was considerable – on fighting whatever it was they were pouring into her system. She had an incredible resistance to toxins; if they didn't know that, they might not have dosed her properly. She was careful not to open her eyes or allow her breathing to show that she was regaining control over her body. She focused on her breath, systematically going through her own body from head to toe as she focused her chakra and attempted to assess her physical state. She was just determining that she could actually feel her fingers when the conversation between the two men caught her undivided attention.

"How long until the subject's next dose," a voice asked somewhere off to her left.

"Not for at least another hour. At her height and weight, any more could be detrimental."

" _Fools_ ," she thought as she began to feel sensation return behind her eyelids and along her hairline. " _Never, never underestimate your enemy_."

"What about the others?"

She felt her heart beat in her ears and willed what chakra she could muster to sharpen her hearing. She heard the rustling of paper and the general sounds of the two men at their work.

"Looks like…. the other two are being held for later research; they are rare specimens, and not to be harmed. The third is of little use to us; a decent shinobi in his own right, but of no scientific interest. He will be used for experimentation."

"Is that the one in Exam Room Three?"

She could more shuffling of paper. "Yes. I don't expect him to live through the night."

The other voice grunted. "He'll be lucky if he makes it through the procedure. It's not like the useless ones are afforded any … did you hear something?"

"Probably the instruments again. He has all kinds of things brewing and cooking in there. Sounded like a centrifuge."

"Should we go check?"

"Are you kidding? It's not worth either of our hides to touch any of his experiments without a direct order. Do you remember what happened to the last guy who-"

He never heard what happened to the last guy. He looked up from his clipboard in just enough time to see the body of the other man heaped oddly on the floor before feeling the jab of something in his neck.

"Heart monitor," she said, as he fell to the floor, unconscious. "That's the sound it makes when you start to take the patches off." She searched his pockets and quickly relieved both men of anything that appeared to be useful, including their keys and swipe cards. She dragged the second one to where she had been laying and hooked him up to the monitors. She knew enough to know that the drug she had given him would keep him out for several hours; it was what had been laid out for use on her. Since she had doubled the dose, she didn't know enough to know if he'd die after that, but couldn't bring herself to be concerned about the matter. Right now, she needed a body and a heartbeat on that slab, and that was what he was providing her. She might have felt sorry for his friend if she had been in a more charitable mood, but she was decidedly  _not_  in a charitable mood. She shoved the body of the dead man into a corner where he would go unnoticed, put on his lab coat, and filled her pockets with anything that could pass for a weapon, including scalpels, syringes, and the vial of the sedative they had been giving her.

She moved quickly and quietly along the wall and went into the first room off of the main laboratory.

Walls and walls of shelves and files sat ominously in the dim light. She made her way to the first shelf. It was filled with bins labeled with names and 'personal effects.' With a sickening horror, she realized this was where the items of the victims were stored. She saw her own name and reached for the bin, surprised to find all her clothes, weapons, and supplies were accounted for. She didn't have time to question her good luck as she hurried to exchange her hospital gown for her own clothes, replacing the bin as she found it, but significantly less full. She began filling the pockets of her trusty trench coat, stealing as many weapons as she could logically take and carry. She fished a soldier pill and blood replenishing pill out of her supplies and bit down on them, ignoring the bitter combined taste. She felt her strength returning as she flexed her fingers; the drug was quickly being metabolized by her system. She was hoping that her chakra levels were going to be up to the task of getting her and her team out of here.

With the thought of her team, she immediately scoured the faces of the bins for the names of her comrades. She found only one.

"Ranka," she breathed, and fished out his belongings. Weapons, no clothes.

"Oh, sure," she muttered. "Leave  _him_  dressed."

She had to hurry; the drugs were still in her system, and it wouldn't be long before her absence was discovered. With a silent apology to the dead and a promise for retribution at a later date, she went in search of her teammate and Exam Room Three.

She moved quickly and silently. The base was clearly underground. It did not appear to be densely populated. The laboratory partition of the base appeared to be newer than the surrounding walls, and she soon backtracked; if there was an 'exam room' it would be in this newer part of the base. She checked the watch she had stolen. Ten minutes had gone by. Assuming the man was actually one of those people that remembered to change the date on his watch, they had been missing for far longer than she realized.

With no small amount of luck, she found the examination room she was looking for, and it appeared to be unoccupied. She entered silently, and stayed close to the cool, sterile walls. The lights were lowered in the room, and she would have thought it was empty had she not heard the low, guttural moan. She made her way to the examination table and ripped back the blanket to find her teammate strapped down.

She swept her eyes over him as she cut the straps away. His sleeves were rolled up, and she could see the pinpricks all along his arms. He was bruised and bloodied; clearly, he had put up a fight before they strapped him to the table. He let out a low groan as she unplugged his monitors and began to free him from the array of wires and sensors.

He fought to open his eyes and focus on her.

"A…Anko?"

"Hope you got enough beauty rest. We're getting out of here."

"What about the others?" he asked, trying to sit up and failing miserably.

"We'll come back for them," she said grimly, helping him sit at the edge of the examination table.

Ranka looked around, wearily. "But… where are we?"

Anko's mouth set in a thin, firm line. "No idea." An alarm blared somewhere in the not-distant-enough distance. "But I'm guessing we should figure it out as soon as possible; while we are on the run."

"Leave me here," he rasped. "Get back to base."

"Not an option," she said, pulling him onto her back.

"That's suicide, Anko," he choked out.

"Still not the craziest thing I've ever done," she muttered as she slipped out of the doors of the lab and down a winding hall. As she heard the tell-tale sounds of pursuers closing in, she bit her thumb, "but it might be right up there," she admitted.

* * *

_NGL: the last bit with Anko was one of my favorites from the original._

_Sakura of the Sand is up! Short, backstory story, will post probably every other day._

_Settling into an "every-two-week-or-so" update pattern with this 'You Must Believe in Spring.' Thank you so much for the feedback, friends; it very much keeps me going. Just an FYI...you're gonna like the next one!_

_Happy Fall, Friends!_

_\- GL_


	7. Promises to Keep

_**If you didn't read "Sakura of the Sand," I highly suggest that you do. 5 chapters, about 14K words. Animequeen100 - this one's for you! xoxox - GL_

* * *

**You Must Believe in Spring  
Chapter Seven: Promises to Keep**

* * *

**Wednesday, March 25** **th** **10:47 AM KST  
** **Konoha, ANBU Base/Training Arena**

She should've known better, really.

When Lady Tsunade informed her that she would be participating in this exercise without her team and neither Kankuro nor Temari raised a fuss, she should have known something was up.

Still, Gaara's sudden appearance completely takes her off guard, and judging from Neji's expression, she isn't the only one.

"Gaara!" she stammered. "What are you doing here?"

"What," Kankurō scoffed. "You think your team wouldn't come for this?"

"You know us better than that, Pinky." Temari grinned.

Sakura looked doubtfully at Gaara.

He raised his eyebrows to her, even as amusement tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"I could hardly be expected to release the medic of Team Kazekage to be assessed without her team, now could I?"

Sakura met Gaara's eyes, and understanding passed between them. Those words from so long ago echoed in the back of her mind.

_"_ _Just as you came for me, I will always come for you."_

"No," her smile was slow. "I suppose not."

Kankurō slung an arm around her shoulder. "Hope you've got someone good for us to go up against, Hyūga," he nodded to Neji. "Because you ain't seen nothing yet."

Neji is spared from trying to formulate a response.

" _What a pleasant surprise, Kazekage_ ," Tsunade's voice came over the speaker with a dry attempt at cordiality. " _I presume this means that you will not be releasing your team mate to participate in this exercise outside of your team?_ "

"Damn straight!" Kankurō called out.

Gaara gave him what should have been a warning look, but it never quite reached his eyes. "I do not wish to compromise this evaluation, Hokage," he said calmly, "but I would consider it as a personal favor if we could participate in this exercise as an intact team. It is not often we are granted the opportunity to conduct our training with such elite opponents."

There was a pause over the loudspeaker. " _An interesting proposition, Kazekage._ " Tsunade said slowly. " _But doable. I don't suppose you have any_ _other_ _requests?_ " she asked, a mild hint of irritation in her tone.

Gaara seemed ready to decline, but changed his mind. "For the purposes of this exercise, would it be possible to have Uzumaki Naruto as one of the opponents?"

" _Forgive me, Kazegage, but Naruto-_ ," Tsunade started, even as the man in question appeared in front of Gaara, arm outstretched.  _"…is apparently going to partake in this exercise,_ " she finished flatly.

There was little in Gaara's expression that shifted, yet it was obvious he was pleased to see his friend. "It has been a long time," Gaara said simply, shaking Naruto's offered hand.

Naruto began to reply when he froze in place, an eerie sensation prickling at his skin. He looked at Gaara who seemed to be having the same reaction, and immediately released his sand to swarm protectively around his siblings as Naruto prepared multiple clones.

"Scatter," he directed, and several of the clones surrounded his friends, while others formed a perimeter around the training area. Temari crouched with her fan at the ready while Sakura stepped in front of Kankurō and Neji activated his Byakugan. "Kurama says something is coming."

" _Naruto_ ," Tsunade's voice barked over the system, " _What_ -"

" ** _Barrier Lockdown_** ," a voice came over the system as an alarm blared, and lights flashed around the training arena. " ** _Emergency incoming_**."

Sakura's eyes snapped around the arena as she drew a kunai from the pouch at her leg, and dropped into a battle-ready stance alongside Kankurō. "What's happening?"

"Barrier Corps is sealing the arena," he spun chakra between his fingers. "In a second, the only thing that will be able to get in or out of this arena is whoever or whatever is about to show up."

Any further questions had to wait; the ground began to shake, and she felt a static sizzle whisper over her skin.

She glanced at Naruto and Gaara as they stepped forward, and trusted that Neji and Temari were in place behind her.

Gaara half turned over his shoulder, his eyes never leaving the arena in front of him.

"Formations as usual," his command was low and final. "Sakura, Kankurō – stay together. Temari, on the ready. You - provide support, and stay out of the way."

Sakura blinked, and was about to turn and give Neji a " _sorry about that"_  look, but her concentration was snagged by the sharp hum in the air followed by a monstrously large puff of smoke.

A giant serpent appeared, already engaged in battle: mouth open, fangs glittering, head reared and poised to strike. Several shinobi were thrown from its writhing body while others clung to it, attacking the beast.

Sakura flicked a glance to Gaara.

"A summons?"

"One of ours," he nodded.

"And the hitchhikers?"

"Enemies."

He gave a nearly imperceptible nod, and everyone sprang into action.

Temari immediately created a vortex with her fan, into which Gaara poured his sand, confusing and blinding his opponents. Protected by the sand, Sakura was suddenly leaping above and hurling kunai at the intruders, who dropped one by one. One managed to spit off a water jutsu, dampening the sand, before flinging his own weapon straight for her heart. At the last instant, she was yanked back by Kankurō's side, who grimaced.

"No time for the usual tactics," she flicked his chakra strings off of her. "You okay?"

"I'm good," he gave a terse nod. "Give 'em hell."

A wicked grin bled across her lips, and she ran back into the fray. Her smile was fierce and feral, and she relished that first feel of fist to jaw. "Should've taken your chances with the snake."

Her assessment was that these were trained shinobi, but not organized.

" _Mercenaries,"_ she decided. She noted that Naruto and Gaara were leaving them alive – that meant they might have valuable information. " _Like why they arrived in a training area via an ANBU summons."_

She realized that the intruders weren't just fighting the summons and Team Kazekage – there was a skirmish going on near the serpent as well.

Sakura charged forward, calling to the others "Someone arrived with the summons – someone on our side!"

She saw the attacker in her peripheral vision, and turned to roundhouse him solidly across the face. What she didn't see was the one behind her leaping for her back, a massive double-bladed battle ax hoisted above his head, poised to strike her down.

"Sakura!" Naruto called out, and she had just enough time to realize she didn't have enough time to dodge.

She gritted her teeth and braced for the impact, when something else flashed on the edge of her periphery. The battle ax fell without its owner, the blade sinking deeply into the ground, but missing her.

"That was close," she breathed, resting a hand on the thick wood of the ax handle. "Thanks for the souvenir, Naruto."

She hefted the axe in one hand, and turned with a satisfied gleam in her eyes. "I can make good use of this."

But the eyes that met hers weren't the blue of the endless summer sky. They were coal-black and fathomless and arresting as she wish she didn't remember.

"I am sure you can… Sakura."

And although she willed her mind to remain blank, her mouth traced the familiar taste of a name - so long banished from her tongue - without her cognition or consent.

"Sasuke."

He held her gaze, and although she felt a twist of metal in her chest, she stood her ground and returned his stare unwaveringly.

The flick of her eyes to the side was all the warning she gave before she took the axe in both hands and swung it, broad-side-flat, to bat an unfortunate shinobi twenty feet or so before skidding another ten or more in the dust of the arena floor.

"Your file was right," she said flatly. "You  _are_ fast."

"Hn," a subtle and heart-wrenchingly familiar smirk tugged at his lips. "Good thing."

For a brief second, she thought her world had actually shattered – or that she was in the middle of an aneurism – but the sudden seismic activity and reverberating roar in her ears were not psychosomatic. The summons was bellowing in pain as it jolted and flailed against the electricity dancing around it.

"The summons," she gasped.

Another shock of pain lanced through the creature, and it arced its tail high in the air before slamming iy down - right where they were standing.

Someone (Sakura thought it might have been Temari) yelled "Watch out!" just as the words "Hold on" were warm in her ear. She hoped she didn't actually 'eep' in surprise, but she did lose her hold on the battle axe as she was scooped up and whisked away in the nick of time.

The contact was swift - one second the tail of the snake was looming high above them, and the next it was crashing down where they had been standing – but every neuron in her body was firing with an unfamiliar energy. She didn't think there had even been a heartbeat's space between being picked up and being set carefully back on her feet, but that might've been because her heart had stopped beating. The sparks coursing through her were settled by a grounding arm across her shoulders– a still familiar but less unsettling touch. Naruto stood with her, and Sasuke was approaching the serpent.

"Stay here, Sakura," Naruto said quietly, squeezing her shoulder. "Something is wrong with the summons."

She darted a look around the arena – the enemy had been subdued and were already surrounded by a barrier of sand.

"How …?"

"Teme," Naruto muttered, eyes remained fixed on Sasuke and the summons. "He always was freaky fast."

Sasuke needed every bit of that speed. One moment he was in front of the serpent, the next he was on its back, or behind it. The creature continued to thrash unpredictably, and he countered each time – clearly trying to speak to the beast, with no success. The snake gave one more horrific, bellowing cry before it contorted, and disappeared in an acrid cloud of roiling black.

The smoke vanished, revealing two bedraggled and bloodied figures, one unconscious, the other dropping to their knees.

Naruto's eyes went wide.

"That's Anko!"

He didn't bother to ask; he muttered "Sorry" as he slung an arm around Sakura's waist and bounded over to Anko's side. Blood was dripping down her arm and from a gash in her forehead, but she shook her head stubbornly.

"Ranka first," she directed, her voice harsh, and her breathing uneven. She tried to push to standing, but failed. Sakura caught her and gently guided her to sitting on the ground.

She didn't see Naruto meet Sasuke's eyes over her head; her professional instincts had already taken over, and time was a quickly evaporating luxury.

"I need you to remain still," she said, her voice calm and steady. "You have multiple severe injuries, and I'm betting some internal bleeding."

Anko blinked away the blood that was stinging her eye, and gave a snort. "Not a bad guess."

"Somehow, I still feel sorry for the other guys," Naruto said.

Anko's eyes glinted.

"You should." Her gaze – quickly growing less focused with the drop in adrenaline – drifted up, and landed behind Sakura. "Uchiha. Just the asshole I needed to see."

Sasuke dipped his head.

"Anko."

"It's Kabuto. He's got a way to bring back Orochimaru."

Sakura's eyes flew to Sasuke involuntarily, even as Naruto gasped "No way!" while Sasuke leveled a flat: "How."

Anko shook her head, wincing at the sizzle of electricity that passed over her skin with the release of the barrier.

"Don't…don't know. But they're close. Felt it," she clutched at the fabric bunching around her neck, even as she fought to remain conscious.

Shizune, Tsunade, and Yamato appeared next to them, and Anko flicked Tsunade a nod of greeting before pinning Sasuke with a rapidly fading gaze.

"Doku," she gritted out. "Find him, find the others. I …didn't release."

"I understand," he cut her off – not unkindly.

"That's enough for now," Sakura said, running a glowing palm over the gash on her forehead. "I'm going to put you into a suspended state. That's your best chance to stabilize you while retaining whatever memories you have that can help us find the others."

"Fine," she gritted her teeth. "And you," she shot a glance at Sasuke. "Watch your back. I'm not the only one they're interested in."

Anko glared at Sasuke until he nodded once. Then she looked at Sakura with a wan smile. "Tsunade's protégé right? Sakura?"

Sakura's smile was quick "The hair give me away?"

"Do your thing, kid. Let's bring the others home."

Sakura nodded and pressed a hand to Anko's forehead. Something like gratitude flickered across her face before her body went limp.

Several medics were already standing by with a gurney. Sakura stood up easily, holding Anko in her arms. They stepped back to let her lay the wounded Jōnin on the gurney.

Tsunade looked them all over.

"You, two," she pinned Sasuke and Naruto with a glare. "Go wait for me in the Hokage deck, and stay there until I send for you."

Naruto flicked a glance at Sasuke. "Sure. We can do that."

"What did you do to Neji?"

Sasuke arched an eyebrow at Sakura, but she cut him off with a terse "Don't." Her eyes were cold and shuttered. "Where is he?"

Sasuke considered her.

"Observation deck."

"And he is safe?"

"Quite unharmed."

She gave a short nod of satisfaction before turning to Tsunade and Gaara. "As Team Kazekage's medic, I request to be formally released to cooperate fully in this and any connected investigations."

"Granted," Gaara nodded once. "We shall pick up our exercises another time."

"When I return to Suna," Sakura said evenly. "By the end of the week, presuming the patients are stable. After all," her back was straight, and her chin stubborn. "That is home."

Tsunade stepped forward. "Sakura – go with Ranka and Anko to the infirmary. Shizune, on your way contact Yori and have him bring Hinata; I will join you shortly."

Gaara turned to his siblings.

"Temari. Kankurō. Accompany Sakura and provide her with any assistance she needs. Stay with her until I send word."

"Yes, Kazekage," they chorused, glints of steel in their tone. They flanked Sakura, and with a nod from Tsunade, that set of agents was dismissed.

Gaara faced Tsunade.

"I shall stay until this is sorted out," Gaara offered solemnly. "This level of a threat will affect all ANBU; it is best if I am here to get all information first hand."

"Agreed. Your office is, as always, ready for your immediate use. As for you, two," she turned back to Sasuke and Naruto, crossing her arms. "What the actual fuck were you thinking?"

Naruto's jaw tightened into a hard line, but he did not reply. It was Sasuke who offered:

"Naruto was not involved in this."

"Quite the gamble Uchiha," she drawled. "You were  _just_  fast enough that you displaced Neji to the observation room. A fraction of a second later, and the shifting barrier would've recognized him as an enemy agent, and sent him directly to the detention area."

"That would have been a shame."

"I can only assume that you sensed something in relation to the summons – what other reason could you have for doing something so monumentally stupid?"

Sasuke didn't respond.

"I recognized Doku," she flicked a glance to where the giant serpent had been moments ago. "Am I right that he wasn't dispelled, but forcibly released?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Can you contact him?"

"Possibly."

"Then," her smile curved wickedly. "You have work to do. Report immediately to the Zeroth Training Ground and find out anything you can. That summons might be our only way of pinpointing where Anko and the other were being held. Naruto, will go with you and help however he can. Neither of you will be returning to my infirmary today. Am I understood?"

Sasuke gave a single nod.

Tsunade squared her shoulders. "Yamato: send Kakashi to me, and then have Tenten, Shino, and Kiba help you transport the prisoners to Ibiki."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade."

"Thank you. Gentlemen," she gave a cursory nod – and a warning glare – to Naruto and Sasuke. "Kazekage," she inclined her head – and then turned on her heel and strode out of the arena.

There was a tense silence between the remaining three men.

It was Gaara who broke it.

"Sakura is a Suna shinobi, and a member of my team," he said without preamble. "The Hyūga was more than capable of holding his own in that skirmish. You could've jeopardized my teammate by inserting yourself where you were not needed, nor wanted. I trust I do not need to worry that you will repeat that mistake."

Gaara expected no answer, but held Sasuke's gaze a moment longer, before taking his leave.

A muscle in Naruto's jaw twitched.

"Why, Teme?"

Sasuke looked up to his oldest friend. He could ask what he meant. He could pretend he didn't know Naruto was questioning his decision to intervene.

He didn't bother.

"Because it was her."

Naruto swore under his breath. He made a couple of clones. "Let's go."

"What are those for?" Sasuke jerked his head toward the extra Narutos that were now leaving the room.

"To keep an eye on things here. She never said my clones had to stay away from the infirmary."

Sasuke arched an eyebrow.

"Don't bother," Naruto scoffed. "I know I'm the best friend a jerk like you could ever have. Beat you to the Zeroth Training Ground."

Naruto disappeared, and Sasuke followed, a smile pulling at his lips.

* * *

**Thursday, March 25** **th** **11:24 AM KST  
Konoha, ANBU Base/Infirmary**

Temari and Kankurō escorted Sakura as far as Shizune would let them.

"Sorry," she apologized as Sakura disappeared to into a prep area. "But I can't have you in there with us. Iō is one of our upper-level medics," she gestured to the man next to her. "Temari, you are free to stay just there," she pointed to a lounge not far down the hall, "but Kankurō, I want Iō to look over you. When he is done, you are to rest; and before you argue, just know that Lady Tsunade has the same opinion."

"Fine," he grimaced. "Temari. Come get me if the kid needs anything?"

"I will."

Shizune dismissed them all, and Temari blew out a sigh as she made her way to the small, out of the way lounge that was rarely trafficked in this wing. She was about to reach for the small refrigerator to get a bottle of water when she suddenly noticed the sharp outline of her shadow. Instinctively she tried to step away, but she found she was frozen in place. She heard the door behind her click shut, and the blinds were pulled down over the windows. Slowly, she felt her body turn to put her eye-to-jaw-bone with one pissed Nara.

Shikamaru was not one for words, really. He was more than capable of saying what he need to when he needed to, but beyond that, it was unnecessary effort to talk the way Naruto or Ino could talk.

However, when the occasion called for it, he was more than capable of stringing together quite a few words, and he didn't wait for an invitation to speak.

"That scroll arrived without explanation or warning," he said, his voice low and even (definite cue he was pissed)."You must have recognized it as a summoning scroll. At what point, exactly, did the three of you decide to pull this little stunt."

Temari arched an eyebrow. This she hadn't been expecting. "It was hardly a stunt," she scoffed. "We use summoning scrolls for the Chūnin exams all of the time; this isn't any different."

"That isn't the same kind of scroll," Shikamaru fisted his hands on his hips, inadvertently causing her to mirror him. "That kind of jutsu is not long range - or at least not Suna to Konoha long range - but to send an article capable of summoning the Kazekage unsecured? What if it had been intercepted? What were the three of you thinking?" he crossed his arms, which crossed her arms. She glowered at him.

"We were thinking that we had to be in place for Sakura whenever she joined ANBU," she narrowed her eyes. "She is just as much a member of the team as any of us. Has been for a long time."

"That isn't the point," he gave a frustrated sigh. "Those scrolls take time to make up. That means you had it ahead of time. I'd bet anything that there is one for you and for Kankurō, too," he looked at her. "Am I right?" She didn't reply right away. "And probably an emergency one for Sakura? A scroll that lets someone summon any of you whenever to wherever they pleased? What if someone got a hold of those things? They could take out an entire elite ANBU team in an instant."

"We could also recall one of us if captured," she countered, "or more easily infiltrate by putting the whole team with one person. Chiyo made them," she continued hotly. "They can't be released by just anyone, and they are in a secured location."

"How many of them?" he grimaced.

"Undisclosed," she returned the stare.

"Too big of a risk," he said, swiping his hand in front of him, their fingers almost brushing mid gesture as she mirrored him.

"Whoa."

They both turned and glared at Naruto, who froze awkwardly in the door.

"Am I interrupting something?" his eyes darted between them.

Shikamaru turned his head back to Temari, their motions still mirrored. She could normally read him with relative accuracy, but for once his face was a hard, blank slate.

"No," he said evenly, his shadows slipping away from her, leaving an icy chill in their wake. "We're done here."

Temari's eyes widened fractionally, but she did not otherwise move.

With a "tch" worthy of any Uchiha, and a sharp shake of his head, he strode out of the room, leaving Temari to stare after him, her heart stone in her chest.

Naruto stood there for a moment longer.

"You okay?"

"Fine," she said, her voice a distant thing, cool and collected in her own ears, even though there was shrapnel in her lungs. "What are you doing here?" she finally met his eyes, crossing her arms. "Thought you got sent to babysit your asshole of a friend while he went snake hunting."

"I'm just a clone. And don't worry. The real me is ready to give Teme some serious shit about today."

"Lucky bastard," she grumbled. "Don't let Tsunade catch wind that you are in this part of the hospital. And leave Sakura alone – she's had enough of a mindfuck for one day."

"I'm going to check in with Gaara and then dispel," he crossed to the fridge and got out two bottles of water, handing one to her. "You?"

"Keep watch on Sakura until I'm told otherwise," she snapped the water bottle open with a little more force than was strictly necessary.

Naruto winced.

"I'll leave you to it, then."

He got to the door, and paused long enough to say, "Shikamaru is too lazy to get upset about things. Only something really important to him would get that kind of reaction." he flicked his gaze to where their stand-off had been.

With another half-smile, he slipped out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

Temari sank into one of the chairs with a sigh, staring up at the ceiling and blinking away the Konoha humidity gathering in her eyes.

Her breath escaped on a sigh, and on the back of the only word she had for everything so far.

"Fuck."

* * *

7.7 Hta/Sakura ER

**11:35 AM KST  
** **Konoha, ANBU Base/Infirmary – Operating Room #9**

Hinata and Master Sarutobi's medic-nin Yori made haste to the infirmary. The nurse waiting for them sent Yori straight in to the OR, while directing Hinata to a locker room with the words:

"Doctor Haruno is waiting for you."

Hinata found her sitting on one of the locker room benches, her fingers laced together, her elbows on her knees. She looked up with a tired smile when Hinata entered.

"Tsunade says she doesn't want any arena dirt in her OR," she offered, motioning to the area just outside of the showers. "I just set up the sanitation jutsus – or, as Ino always called them, the Magical Girl Transformation jutsus."

Hinata's Byakugan flared and she hovered a glowing palm over Sakura's shoulder. "May I?"

Sakura nodded. Several well placed – but unerringly gentle – touches later, Sakura felt her shoulders loosen, and some of the tension unwind in her neck.

"I left the points near your eyes alone," she said quietly, her Byakugan fading. "I'll tend to them after we finish up here."

"Thanks."

Every medic knew how to do some form of suppression jutsu – particularly those who worked in surgery. Vision blurred by tears could mean a life lost – although Hinata had never seen Sakura employ such a jutsu before now.

Sakura directed Hinata to one of the two large tiles that glowed with markings. Once activated, the sanitation jutsu sealed any dirt or contaminants. At this level of practice, it also sealed away whatever clothes the person was wearing and exchanged them for OR garments. The jutsu itself was bounded by a privacy barrier, giving any onlookers the sensation of watching a cartoon heroine transform in silohette.

Hinata pulled back her hair and stepped on the tile. Less than a minute later (but sadly, as Ino always lamented, with no accompanying theme music) both she and Sakura were ready.

They went directly to the OR where Tsunade and Shizune were already working on Ranka and Anko. Kakashi was there, careful to stand out of the way

"Better," Tsunade nodded to them both.

"What is that?" Sakura pointed to the cart full of medical supplies – clearly not intended for their use.

"That is what was stashed in Anko's coat. She must have relieved her captors of a few supplies before escaping."

"So, they were held in a medical facility?"

"Possibly. Hinata: how are their chakra systems looking?"

Hinata's Byakugan spiraled to life as she examined the patients.

"Ranka's chakra is low. Possible disruption of flow; hard to tell with so little running in his system. Looks like he is still drugged. As for Anko…" She paused, and considered the other patient. "There is an anomaly in the chakra on her left trapezius. It looks like a seal has been placed there, anchored with a cluster of three tomoe."

Sakura frowned.

"Impossible," she murmured, and stepped forward to examine Anko, her eyes widening with surprise as she rubbed a gloved finger over the mark. "This is the Cursed Seal of Heaven," she breathed.

Hinata raised her eyebrows. "You know of it?"

"I studied it with Lady Chiyo – there had been someone trying to resurrect the technique when we were sixteen or so." She looked up at Tsunade. "This could complicate things, greatly."

"Anko's mark has been sealed for now," Tsunade said frankly. "But yes, it is still an area of concern. Hinata, make sure you monitor the chakra flow around that point. Be on the lookout for any abnormalities."

Hinata and Sakura worked in efficient silence as they tended to Anko.

"Hinata, any changes?" Sakura asked nodding to the curse mark as she gently prodded it.

She focused her Byakugan. "Not that I can see," she said quietly. "The chakra does pool differently in that area, but it hasn't altered since we started."

"I wish we had you when I was researching this," Sakura muttered. "Having someone able to visibly monitor the chakra flow would have been immensely helpful." She began to channel chakra into her palm while Hinata watched.

Hinata suddenly slapped her hand away, just in time for a glassy-eyed Sakura to see the chakra arcing from the mark. Hinata narrowed her eyes and hovered her own glowing palm over the mark. She gasped and pulled her hand away, her own chakra arcing more strongly.

"What is it?" Sakura asked as another, lower voice asked, "Are you alright?"

She looked to Sakura and Yori. "I-I'm fine," she stammered slightly. When Yori began to reach his hand toward Anko, Hinata immediately pushed it away. "No!" she said sharply, before taking a deep breath. "Did you see anything?" she asked Sakura. "Your eyes went glassy."

Sakura shook her head. "Nothing."

Hinata didn't need her Byakugan to know Tsunade was behind her, arms crossed, drumming her nails on her bicep.

Hinata glanced to Yori and then to Tsunade. "We need to seal this, immediately. There is something there – something is watching."

Tsunade raised her eyebrows. "Watching?" She put a glowing hand over the mark. Her chakra did not arc, but Hinata saw the disturbance in the mark as the chakra signature greedily swirled at the base of Anko's neck. No. Slithered. The strange chakra signature was coiling and wrapping, trying to feed on the outside chakra. Instinctively she used her 360 vision to check Ranka – but found no such disturbance in him.

She relayed what she observed.

Tsunade turned to Shizune and one of the medics standing nearby.

"Take Ranka to an isolation room immediately." she commanded. "Sakura, go and assist Shizune with Ranka. Hinata, Yori, you stay." Tsunade looked to Sakura. "You are not to tend to Anko until I say, do you understand?"

Sakura nodded, then she and Shizune rushed Ranka out with the help of two other medics.

"Kakashi," Tsunade waved him over. "What do you see?"

He examined Anko with his Sharingan, grimacing behind his mask.

"It is just as Lady Hyūga described."

"It became more active when you activated the Sharingan," Hinata observed. "Why would that be?"

"I am afraid I can not say."

"All the more reason to seal it immediately," Tsunade squared her shoulders. "Kakashi? If you would?"

They both knelt and after a series of synchronized hand seals, pressed their palms onto the floor. Writing appeared, glowing brightly on the floor. She nodded her approval as they stood.

"Glad I had you prepare this room last time we had to seal a curse mark," she muttered.

"Last time?" Hinata looked between them.

"Uchiha Sasuke," Tsunade said. "Nearly ten years ago."

"Tell me what you see now, Lady Hyūga." Kakashi came alongside her, his eyes focused on the ominous marking on Anko's neck.

"It looks like a snake," she grimaced. "It is feeding on the chakra, but it was looking for information – I felt it trying to scan my thoughts. Lady Tsunade's chakra is probably too much for it to try to overcome. Sakura's perfect chakra control probably prevented it."

Kakashi's Sharingan was still glowing. "If I seal it, it will be trapped inside Anko. There's no guarantee it will be incapacitated."

Hinata took a deep breath.

"It responded to my chakra. I'll use that to draw it out so you can seal the mark."

"I'm not sure that I want to give any potential enemy access to the Hyūga clan's secrets," Tsunade grimaced. "You might not have been in ANBU enough to have intel to share, but you have plenty of sensitive information that shouldn't leave Konoha."

"The chakra needs to backflow to gain that information," Hinata reasoned. "I can regulate my and Anko's tenkutsu long enough to interfere."

Tsunade looked between her and Kakashi.

"Alright," she grimaced. "But the second I don't like what I'm seeing, I'm stepping in."

Two of the attending medics helped to maneuver Anko into a siting position while Hinata stood behind her.

Hinata took a deep breath, activated her Byakugan, and hovered her cupped palms over Anko's neck. Her chakra arced; green ribbons dancing and sparking between her palm and the ominous black markings. Kakashi focused his Sharingan, surprised to see the outline of a snake sharpen with startling clarity. It was coiled and ready to strike.

"Lady Huyga," he warned.

"I see it," she said, determined. Without explanation, she quickly isolated and struck several points on Anko's back and shoulders before executing rapid series of hand seals. A glowing orb of chakra grew between her hands, and she shoved it into Anko's curse mark, pressing her hands against her back.

There was the space of two or three heartbeats before chakra glowed under her hands, building in intensity. In a sudden, bright burst of chakra, a slithering white shape rocketed out of the curse mark and sailed upward before jackknifing and diving for Hinata's neck with fangs bared.

Yori moved with lightning speed, intercepting and slamming the snake into the ground even as Kakashi pulled Hinata away, and stepped in between her and the threat.

"Now, Kakashi!" Tsunade ordered.

Kakashi activated the seal on Anko.

The ink burned bright on the floor and then swarmed toward the curse mark, running over the snake as it writhed under Yori's palm. The creature hissed violently and then gave an unearthly cry – a human cry - before disintegrating into a blackened smudge of ash. The writing poured into Anko, causing her body to jerk violently. Kakashi kept his hands firm on either side of the curse mark while Hinata hurried to help the other medics hold her steady. As the last of the writing cascaded under Kakashi's palm, Anko's body stiffened, until, with a final, gut-wrenching groan, she collapsed against Kakashi.

The room was deathly still. No one moved.

A quiet sound, like the sigh of a sparrow, gently broke the eerie silence. Anko took a relieved breath as her eyes fluttered open to see Kakashi with his hands still firmly on her shoulder, and the curse mark ringed in a circle of writing that was fading into her skin. She gave him an exhausted, crooked smile. "Long time no see."

"Welcome back," he put friendly pressure on her shoulder.

Her eyes trailed to Tsunade as the woman came into her field of view.

"Ranka?" she asked, her breathing slowing, her eyes heavy.

"Stable."

"Good," Anko sighed. "Must've picked up a hitchhiker in Oto," she said, fighting to keep her remaining shreds of consciousness intact. "Thanks for getting rid of it."

"Releasing the jutsu also released you from your suspended state. I am going to put you into a deep sleep, now." Tsunade said firmly. "You can tell us the rest later."

Normally Anko would have protested. She would have had some smart assed reply, or given a show of bravado and exuberance that would do even Naruto proud. She didn't have the strength for it. Her face was wan and tight, the circles under her eyes were deep and almost bruise-purple. "I… I think the others are alive," she said trying to fight physical collapse just a little longer. "Being held. Specimens. Valuable. But alive. Get Inoichi… Ibiki knows; Inoichi has to be careful when scanning."

"Enough," Tsunade said, putting a strong but gentle hand on the woman's forehead. "You've done well, Anko. Rest."

Green chakra glowed on the woman's pale, sweat-sheened skin and her eyes closed as her breathing became slow and even. It was the first rest she had in nearly a month.

Kakashi put his hitai-ate back over his eye as Tsunade checked Hinata for any ill-effects, and then dismissed her into Yori's care.

The doors swung closed behind them and Tsunade put her hands on her hips looking over Anko.

Kakashi stood with his arms crossed. "That was a surveillance jutsu," he said, his voice serious. "But that chakra; that wasn't Anko's."

"It was a blend," she agreed. "I am sure it was a jutsu originally created by Orochimaru, but I don't think he set it. That wasn't his chakra." She sighed, looking at the black smudge on the floor where the snake had incinerated. "I didn't have time to identify the signature, but it felt familiar."

"Kabuto?" he suggested.

"Maybe. That would make the most sense."

"That's the problem, isn't it?" Kakashi sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Anything coming out of Oto almost never makes sense."

"Anko said Orochimaru is back. We can't take that lightly. And with Anko out of commission," she nodded to the sleeping woman, "the agent best suited to find him - "

" - Is Sasuke," Kakashi finished.

"That can't be coincidence," Tsunade continued. "Orochimaru was obsessed with obtaining Uchiha. Who's to say Kabuto hasn't taken on the same obsession? If he ever did manage to bring back Orochimaru in Sasuke's body, he'd be damned near invincible."

"And by taking out Anko's team out of the equation, that means our team will be assigned," Kakashi guessed. "You think the motives run that deep?"

Tsunade drew her eyebrows together. "With Kabuto and Orochimaru, you can never tell."

"There is one more thing," Kakashi scratched his chin through his mask. "I was able to see the snake using my Sharingan. I can't normally see chakra as clearly as that."

Tsunade waited for him to continue. "So maybe the person that set the jutsu wanted the Sharingan to see it," he reasoned. "Maybe it was a trap for Sasuke. It might have attacked Hinata by mistake."

"There is another possibility," Tsunade mused. "It could have been set by a Sharingan user."

Kakashi shook his head. "Itachi helping Kabuto? I can't see it."

"We don't know what happened to Itachi. Or his eyes," she pointed out.

Kakashi remained unconvinced. "No. Wrong chakra…" he mused.

"Lady Tsunade," one of the medics approached her. "Yamanaka and Morino are here. Shall I bring them in?"

"Yes," she motioned them forward. "Gentlmen," she nodded to Inoichi and Ibiki. "Come in. We need to discuss how to catch a snake."

* * *

**3:00 PM KST  
** **Konoha, Zeroth Training Ground**

The summons appeared in a giant puff of smoke; wind rushed over them, and Naruto instinctively covered his face.

"Who dares to summon me?!" the snake demanded. "I am not contracted to you, Uchiha brat – I demand a sacrifice of 300 humans before I will assist you!"

Sasuke sighed, and Naruto stared.

"Not sure you are in a position to make demands," Naruto said, eyeing the summons. "What would a pipsqueak like you do with 300 humans, anyway?"

The tiny snake reared up its small body, its eyes glittering in what was its best menacing glare. The whole effect was somewhere along the line of 'indignant over-sized worm.'

"The Great Manda once demanded 100 humans of his contract! I am inheritor to that great line, and if the Uchiha has the insolence to summon me and all my greatness, he shall have to pay greatly!"

"Sounds great," Naruto said trying not to laugh while Sasuke's eyebrow was now starting to twitch.

"Manda was killed long ago," Sasuke said. "I don't need you in battle. I need information."

"And why should I give it to you?!" the runt of a snake demanded insolently.

"Because Sasuke will tell Anko if you don't?" Naruto suggested, "Or maybe Aoda? Didn't we see the other Manda earlier?" he asked Sasuke. "This is the last guy before you go talk to the Sage one, right?"

If a snake can go pale, then this one did.

"Y-you would  _dare_  to go speak with the White Snake Sage?!" it sputtered.

"He trained with the White Snake Sage," Naruto said, bored. "Speaking shouldn't be a stretch."

The glittering eyes bugged in the snake's head. "Trained?!" it squeaked.

Sasuke arched an eyebrow at the snake. "You are wasting my time," he said, preparing the hand seals to release the summons.

"WAIT!" it cried. "I… I can help! Just…" it seemed to be struggling with a decision. "In lieu of 300 humans, you can tell the Sage how well I assisted you."

"That depends on if you prove to be of any use at all," Sasuke scoffed.

Naruto watched the two of them – it seemed that both snakes and Sasuke had "rude" as a default mode. Weird.

The small snake did its best to look imposing. "I am the fastest and best at infiltration of my generation. I can find out what you want to know."

"I can't reach Mitarashi Anko's summons," Sasuke said. "I need to know where she was recently held captive. We have other operatives that may be there. I need to find the base."

The snake seemed to consider this. "That would be Brother Doku. I shall see if I can find him."

"Brother?" Naruto asked, recalling the giant summons he had seen earlier that day.

"Yes," the small snake puffed out his chest. "He is my elder brother."

"Alright, chibi-Doku" Naruto smiled. "You find Doku, and where they are holding our friends, and Teme here will put in a good word for you with the Snake Sage."

Sasuke kept his face impassive even as the snake's features contorted into the reptilian equivalent of haughty-masking-hopeful.

"I shall let you know what I find out," he promised, and without another word, he disappeared.

Sasuke slid a glance over to Naruto. "You know I don't really go in too much for senjutsu."

Naruto shrugged. "He doesn't know that." He suddenly stood a little straighter as if hearing something in the distance, then he winced.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes at him, his hand reflexively moving to the hilt of his sword.

"Baa-chan just… released one of my clones." He rubbed his head absently. "Sounds like Anko and Ranka are stable for now. Maybe we should make our way back."

"Hn," Sasuke nodded, relaxing his stance.

Naruto's eyes widened. "Too soon to relax, Teme," he said warily.

Sasuke followed his gaze. "Is that-?"

"Yup."

"You gotta be fucking kidding me," Sasuke hissed through gritted teeth.

"Nope." Naruto said, crouching for an attack. "Although, given the number of snakes we've had to deal with, an ostrich might be a nice change."

"Yeah." Sasuke reached for his sword. "Right."

* * *

**12:01 PM KST  
** **Undisclosed Location**

Kabuto sliced a glowing green palm through the rogue-nin, leaving the body fall to the floor in a heap with less than a gurgle of protest.

"Was that necessary?"

Kabuto pushed his glasses up his nose as he turned to face Rokuro. "Just tying up some loose ends," he said with a shrug. "You never know when it will be good to have a body or two around."

Rokuro looked down the bloodied hall, and the carnage that had been wrought within it. "Sloppy," he grunted, folding his arms over his chest.

"Perhaps," Kabuto continued with his unaffected smile. "But then again, Anko was always very thorough. A true student of her master."

"I meant allowing the vermin to escape with them."

"The shinobi that were inadvertently transported with Anko were recently acquired, and they have no information worth sharing. And these men," he looked down to the pile of corpses at his feet, "had outlived their usefulness. Shame about my lab assistants, though," he sighed. "I could use the help and they are harder to replace."

Rokuro made some sound of disgust. "Clearly you weren't that worried when you let them underdose that woman. You practically signed their death warrants."

"Sacrifices have to be made," Kabuto's shrugged coolly.

"True," Rokuro's

"Just make sure those 'sacrifices' aren't synonymous with a betrayal," Rokuro warned him menacingly.

Kabuto let out an eerily lighthearted laugh. "Still don't trust me?" he asked.

"I'm not that stupid."

"Indeed, you are not," Kabuto agreed. "Which is why we continue to coexist peaceably while we each further our own agendas. Isn't that right,  _Rokuro_?"

Rokuro raked his eyes over Kabuto, calculatingly.

"Clean up this mess," he finally said, turning to walk back to his quarters. "Madara doesn't have time for your folly, and neither do I."

Kabuto watched the man disappear down the hall with a wicked grin.

"We'll see what is 'folly' soon enough," he murmured his promise to the retreating man's back. "With the spies in place, it won't be long now. Lord Orochimaru will return, and then we shall see what further sacrifices will have to be made."

He looked down and absently toed the cooling body of the dead man at his feet. "Let's see what use you can be to me," he said with a sadistic cheerfulness worthy of the frozen look of horror etched on the man's face by death. "After all," he looked around the blood-splattered walls and the floor littered with the carnage of battle, "we all have to do our part."

* * *

_And there you go, friends! The major shift in old story to new. Life is crazy, and I so appreciate those that have left words of encouragment. With all of my heart, I thank you!_


	8. Between Yesterday and Tomorrow

**_A/N:_ ** _She lives! And she is closing out the Spring Arc! Notes at the bottom, friends!_

* * *

**You Must Believe in Spring  
** **Chapter Eight: Between Yesterday and Tomorrow**

* * *

**Wednesday, March 25th 11:15 AM KST  
** **Konoha, ANBU Base**

If Sai had to categorize Neji Hyūga's reaction to being displaced from Dr. Haruno's side to Observation Room 7, he would have to go with Kiba's description of "Royally Pissed."

"Uchiha," he growled, and his eyes flashed dangerously as he spotted Sasuke in the arena below. Sai watched him grapple his anger into something just-under-the-skin seething, as he followed the fight with clenched fist and jaw. Neji was silent until Sasuke's last-minute save of Doctor Haruno, at which point he spat out:

"What is he thinking?"

"I do not think this was strictly a tactical decision," Sai ventured, one eye on Neji, the other on the chaos below. "Although you would not have been fast enough to save her as he did, just then."

"I wouldn't have left her side in the first place," Neji snapped. "A lesson you'd thought he would have learned by now."

Sai might have winced, but all conversation stopped. As soon as the summons was gone and the barrier was lifted, Neji strode to the door.

"Tell him what I said," he flicked a glance to Kakashi before locking eyes with Sai, ice in his glare and words. "Remind him that he isn't needed."

The heavy door closed with a dull click and Sai looked immediately to Kakashi.

"Am I to assume that kind of attitude from Neji is not like Sasuke when showing friendship?"

"That was text-book Hyūga unfriendly," Kakashi shook his head. "Do not pursue or otherwise attempt to engage. I'm going to report to Lady Tsunade; stay close in case we have need of you."

Sai nodded, and removed himself to the archival library.

Upon discovering that there was not actually a text book on the Hyūgas that would better have explained Neji's actions, he decided to work on his own project.

Put simply, Sai had a problem: he needed to get close to Dr. Haruno Sakura to better assess and analyze the current situation, as well as to begin looking for the spy.

After consulting every book and magazine at his disposal, (and after watching her decimate an arena) he decided consulting her directly could only end in disaster. If he was introduced to her by Naruto, she might speak with him, but gaining her trust could take too long, as well as alert any potential spies as to his interest.

What he needed was a more direct route; a way to get the most information for his efforts while simultaneously arousing the least suspicion.

Sai studied his list of their mutual acquaintances, weighing who had the best information against who was the most likely to share it.

He suspected that Sasuke had already shared all he intended to share on the subject. If the need arose, he  _might_  get away with asking a direct, on-topic question, but that was not something upon which he could depend.

Sai crossed Sasuke off of the list.

Naruto was another matter. It was clear he had more contact with Dr. Haruno than he was comfortable discussing with Sasuke, and expressed surprise that neither Dr. Haruno nor Gaara entrusted him with their team secret, implying that he considered their level of friendship to warrant his being entrusted with said information. As a friend of Gaara's, he was potentially good resource for information on her life in Suna.

That led him to consider her fellow members of Team Kazekage.

Sai had no relationship with Temari, Kankurō, or Gaara, so any attempts to engage them in conversation about Dr. Haruno would almost certainly arouse suspicion.

Tenten was close with Temari, and her files stated she spent time in Suna, but Sai hadn't finished cross-referencing to see if her time overlapped Sakura's with any significance. However, she was also on a team with Neji – Sakura's current employer and closest thing to known romantic interest. Team Guy was famous for their teamwork and loyalty, so Sai could not reasonably assume Tenten would be of any assistance to him, should she feel his interests were at odds with her teammate's.

Lee was a friend, but Sai had no reason to believe he had any information pertinent to this mission. For that matter, neither did Kiba, but his conversations were goldmines for socially saavy expressions. Sai made a note to speak with Kiba soon, for continuing education purposes.

His research showed that Hinata had held the title of Lady Hyūga from the time she was sixteen, so he had no reason to think she has information of Dr. Haruno's time in Suna. Belatedly Shino crossed his mind, but Sai dismissed the thought of speaking with him.

That only left their generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

He wanted to hold off on speaking with Shikamaru. He was far too clever not to wonder why Sai was interested in finding out more about Dr. Haruno's past. If there really was a spy in ANBU, at some point one of the Naras would surely be alerted. Sai would wait to access that resource.

Sai doubted that Chōji had anything to offer in terms of information, but Ino…

Ino was Dr. Haruno's best friend.

They were roommates.

She cared enough to threaten Uchiha and clearly knew what had happened in their relationship, and what was still going on. She was a dangerous and accomplished kunoichi who probably didn't like him.

Sai paused and circled his next words.

_Best resource._

He took a deep breath and added:

 _Goal: gain trust/confidence. Plan of action_ …?

And there, Sai was stumped.

He didn't know Ino, and had no immediate reason to engage her in conversation or a social setting. There were plenty of reasons Sai could come up with to speak with her – ROOT saw that each of its members was familiar with plants and their toxic or healing properties – but no obvious way to gain her confidence, and certainly no way to broach the subject of Dr. Haruno.

His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the archival librarian Shiho, who came to the table where he worked, and peered at him from behind her large, thick glasses.

"Here are the resources on genjutsu that you asked for."

"Thank you," he took the scrolls from her. "This one isn't mine," he handed it back to her.

"Jiraiya asked that I get that one to you," she adjusted her glasses. "I didn't assemble it, so I don't know what it contains, but he indicated it was urgent."

Sai thanked her and broke the seal on the scroll. He'd barely unrolled it when a note from Jiraiya fluttered out.

" _If you really want to get to know a woman, you speak with her best friend. The Yamanaka girl is quite fearsome when she wants to be, but she is probably a better source of information than any scroll you can read. I would make a point to speak with her – preferably over coffee or a casual meal. Do this carefully, though, and do not under any circumstances attempt to ask her to dinner, a date, or out for drinks. Consider this an A-ranked mission. No. In your case S-ranked. I am available for_   _pointers_."

"Fearsome," Sai murmured, scanning the scroll.

That puzzling image of Ino "busting Sasuke's balls" (as Naruto had called it) came to mind. Even now he felt his pulse quicken, like before he had to spring at a target, or evade a projectile. His heart often raced around Tenten, but that response had a direct correlation to the fact she normally threw something deadly at him when he was in her company, forcing him to take evasive maneuvers. The same could be said for Tsunade who was known for her quick bursts of temper; but other than that, the few women with whom Sai interacted were no different to him than anyone else.

He did not generally respond to women; he was curious why he had reacted physically to Ino. Was he, perhaps, sympathetically concerned for the fate of his own "balls?" Having lately learned that those were testicles, he definitely did not think having them 'busted' intentionally or during friendly fire would be advisable.

He paled, and hastily jotted down:

_"Find way to protect balls."_

Faced with a completely new set of challenges, Sai got straight to work, and controlled his breathing until his pulse settled back into its normal cadence. He ignored the unusual and lingering sensation in his abdomen and his chest – resolving to make an appointment with a medic if they persisted.

* * *

**5:06 PM KST  
Konoha, ANBU Base/Locker Room**

The interior locker room door swung open, and a muddy Naruto strode in ahead of a not-quite-as-muddy-but-still-pissed-off Sasuke, both looking like something had been pecking at their heads. Something large.

Kiba flicked his eyes over the two of them.

"Lover's spat?"

Sasuke grunted something irritated and unintelligible, while Naruto just shrugged.

"Snakes are ill-tempered summons, and … we might have had a run-in with an ostrich."

"An ostrich." Kiba repeated, flatly. "That's the best you could come up with?"

"It is plausible," Shino intoned. "Why you may ask? That is because, they went to the Zeroth Training Ground, which is also an animal sanctuary for creatures with shinobi skills."

"Yeah, well, if anyone was going to get their ass kicked by a Shinobi ostrich it would be Naruto."

"Teme was there, too," Naruto muttered.

"I'd love to stay and bask in that bit of information," Kiba rocked back on his heels as he took in Sasuke's appearance, "but I got places to be, and women with sharp objects to not disappoint. Let's go, Akamaru."

The door swung behind him, and Naruto looked up to Shino

"Does he mean Tenten?"

Shino nodded once.

"Man," Naruto breathed. "I think I'd rather take my chances with the ostrich. At least if you piss Condor off you'll see the attack coming."

"Sasuke," Shino intoned. "Did you respond to your invitation to the Hyūga event?"

"This guy?" Naruto laughed, jerking a thumb at Sasuke. "Why would any Hyūga invite him anywhere ever?"

"He is the head of one of the Four Noble Clans," Shino shrugged one shoulder. "He is invited to all of the important events."

"And I always decline the invitations," Sasuke added. "Much to the relief of all involved."

"So, what is this event?" Naruto looked between them.

"Hanabi's birthday," Sasuke undid the chakra lock on his locker.

"And… what… you show up and play games?"

"It's her twentieth birthday, not her fifth, Dobe."

"That is correct," Shino pushed his glasses up his nose. "And that is significant. Why, you may ask? That is because she will be officially 'of age' in her clan. At the upcoming celebration, she will declare her intention to accept her place as heir in front of her clan and the Four Noble families. She'll be formally installed as heir at the summer solstice."

"Following a much larger, needlessly elaborate celebration," Sasuke added. "Presuming she makes it through the ceremonial spars and other gauntlets the Hyūgas are so fond of throwing."

Naruto blinked.

"Just how big of an event are we talking?"

"The celebration on Friday will be a formal dinner at the Five Kage's," Shino replied. "And the building has been shut down for that purpose. The event in June will be held at the Conservatory and will have a guest list in the thousands."

"Thousands," Naruto blinked. " _Counting_  the Hyūgas?"

"Counting half of the land of Fire," Sasuke scoffed. "Hence my sending my regrets within three minutes of receiving that particular invitation."

"That's a shame. I hear the Hyūga events are lovely."

The three men looked up to see Kakashi leaning lazily against a locker, reading an Icha Icha book.

"Gentlemen."

Shino nodded to him, Sasuke did nothing, and Naruto muttered "Here we go," under his breath.

"Sasuke," Kakashi tucked his book away. "We need to have a word. No need for moral support," he added when Naruto might have spoken up. "I'll keep the lecture on how monumentally stupid you were for another time. As for you," he tossed Naruto a scroll. "Better get packing. You are leaving town tomorrow.

Naruto caught the scroll and opened it. "For where?"

"Suna."

"Suna?" Naruto repeated, snapping his head up, but the door had already swung closed behind them.

He quickly scanned his mission scroll, sinking onto a bench.

"Kakashi should not have announced where you were going," Shino muttered. "Why? That is because, a scroll of that nature indicates it is a covert mission and should not be discussed freely."

Naruto swallowed, and refrained from saying Kakashi had probably forgotten Shino was there.

"I'm sure he knew you could be trusted with the information. You're a Jōnin after all."

"Mm." Shino hummed, but Naruto thought perhaps he sounded pleased (or as close to sounding pleased as Shino got.)

"Your team was pretty amazing today, by the way," Naruto added, tucking the scroll away. "Hinata's really come a long way, hasn't she?"

"Yes. She performed excellently today, despite the upheaval her last few days proved to be."

"Yeah, about that," Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. "As her smartest teammate, I don't suppose you can suggest of a way I can politely say "sorry about landing you in an ANBU infirmary on the first day I saw you in years?"

"I'd suggest a card, but I doubt you'd find one with that specific sentiment."

Naruto blinked.

"Did…did you just make a joke?"

"Of course. Comedy comes quite naturally to me."

Naruto blinked again, wondering if it was safe to laugh, and settled for a shaky "Right."

Shino sighed.

"The cinnamon rolls from Amaguriama. They've long been a favorite of hers and would be a better choice than flowers."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"Because Ino doesn't work at Amaguriama."

"Wow…" Naruto breathed, realization dawning on him. "You really  _are_  clever."

"Don't sound so surprised," Shino muttered, closing his locker, but Naruto was too busy re-reading his assignment scroll.

"Got it!" he grinned, sealing and tucking the scroll away. "Thanks, Shino!"

He hurried out of the room, leaving Shino to shake his head at the majority of people with whom he worked.

Except for Hinata – for her he spared a kind thought and a genuine moment of affection… before deciding that if Naruto messed up again, he'd infest his apartment for a month.

* * *

**Thursday, March 26th 5:40 AM SST/8:40 AM KST  
Suna, Kazekage Residence**

Gaara was an early riser.

Mornings in Suna were stark and beautiful and cold until the sun gained enough purchase over the glittering expanse of sand to bathe it in its heat. Shinobi here had long trained in those morning hours before the sun burned too brightly and sapped the body of strength, and Gaara was no exception.

There had been a time when insomnia drove his training at such an hour as much as the sun, but his relationship with Shukaku had stabilized, and his sleep much improved.

The same, he feared, could not currently be said for his sister, who was trying to hide her yawns as she joined him in the kitchen shared by the members of the Kazekage's family.

He watched her as she made a strong cup of black tea – Suna's own version of coffee - and took a seat across from him. There were circles under her eyes, and a heaviness in her limbs that he knew all too well. While Temari was also a habitually early riser, she rarely had trouble sleeping. In fact, he noticed that her rare bouts with insomnia came only upon returning from Konoha, or when Shikamaru left Suna.

She glanced up and looked around the room.

"It's too quiet without Kankurō."

"Agreed," Gaara's lips tipped up at the corners. "Did you sleep well?"

"Fine," she lied, glancing at the clock. "Did we get the final word on how long Sakura will be in Suna?"

"Hard to say," Gaara folded his hands. "Neji will not be able to leave Konoha until the Twenty-Eighth. He and Sakura will assess the situation at the Suna hospital and determine a time she can formally return to the main Hyūga hospital in Konoha. It will be less suspicious this way."

"Time frame?"

"Lady Tsunade would prefer if she returned within two weeks." He studied his sister before venturing, "You had a chance to speak with her last night. How is she?"

"You know Sakura," Temari half-shrugged. "She is treating all of this like a mission and has compartmentalized it accordingly."

Gaara gave a ghost of a smile.

"Naturally."

"Tenten told me that Hinata wants to fly back with Neji and finish the tour with Master Sarutobi, but we are waiting to see if that is feasible. I think Neji is urging her to wait and fly out closer to when he and Sakura will leave Suna, that way they can all travel back together."

"That would be wise," Gaara agreed. "Sakura has often told me how anxious flying makes Hinata – I can understand her wanting to be there. And have you spoken with Shikamaru since we have returned?"

Temari swallowed her tea before answering with a calculated nonchalance:

"Haven't needed to."

"Mm," Gaara hummed into his tea. "Would your reluctance to speak with him have anything to do with your recent discussion of my latest mode of transportation?"

Temari stared at him, and Gaara gave his standard ghost of a smile.

"Naruto might have overheard more of your conversation with Shikamaru than he let on."

"Nosy little shit," she muttered.

Gaara shook his head. "He saw Shikamaru looking for you, so he followed. He was worried."

"Why?" she scoffed, "I can take care of myself."

"Worried for Shikamaru."

She made some sound - it might've been dismissive, or it might've been an agreement – and drained her tea. Gaara watched as she stood and flicked the kettle on in irritation.

"Nara had valid points on all counts," he offered. "He repeated them to Naruto and me."

Temari looked up sharply. "Repeated?"

"There is just one thing he left out."

"Which one thing," she bit back, ripping open the teabag with more force than was strictly necessary. "That maybe we had not taken the choice to use that scroll lightly? That it was the most secure and reliable way to get you here in time, unscathed, and with full chakra reserves? That his reaction was completely unreasonable?"

He wisely hid his smile behind his tea.

"No."

"Then  _what_?"

Gaara considered his sister, holding her gaze for several moments in silent communication.

"Make me a promise."

She arched an eyebrow at him, listening.

"When he comes to tell you his final argument, you will listen to what he has to say."

Temari stared at her brother. Gaara stared back.

"Do I have to phrase this as an order, Temari?"

Her jaw tightened, and her eyes narrowed, but in the end, she expelled a deep breath with a sharp, single nod.

"No, Kazekage," she replied with only a tinge of sarcasm as she turned back to her tea. "I promise."

"Excellent," he reached for the agenda Matsuri had let for him. "Now, about today…"

He watched his sister settle into her role, and refrained from further bringing up the one person that annoyed her into fidgeting.

* * *

**6:45 AM KST  
Konoha, Hyūga Hospital/Hyūga Neji's office**

Naruto was late.

"He's spent too much time with Kakashi," Neji grumbled as he signed off on the last of the paperwork. There was a light knock on the door that could only be his cousin, so he stood to open it.

"Good morning, Neji," she smiled.

"Good morning," he stepped back to let her in his office. "Not that I am not glad to see you, but you didn't have to come. We have plenty of people on hand for this."

"The brother of the Kazekage was a guest at our hospital," she shrugged. "It would be a slight if the Clan Mother did not come to bid him safe travels."

Neji just shook his head, because he knew what his cousin really meant was "My mother would have wanted me to be here."

"I was just going to Kankurō's room to have Sakura sign these release forms," he checked his watch. "Would you like to come with me, or go to the helipad?"

"I'll go on ahead of you," she offered. "Genma should be up there, right?"

"Should be," Neji nodded, holding the door open for her.

"Then I shall let them know you are on your way, and stay in the waiting area until you arrive."

Neji agreed, and they parted ways – just in time for him not to see the man in the doctor's coat hurry after Hinata, only to miss the elevator. With a muttered curse, he threw a nervous look over his shoulder before watching the elevator numbers climb.

"Helipad," he whispered to himself, and recalculated his route to intercept Lady Hyūga.

* * *

**7:00 AM KST  
Konoha, Uchiha Towers. Penthouse**

Sasuke returned from his morning run, and found his reissued invitations to the Hyūga events right on the counter where he left them. He decided it was only slightly less disconcerting to see the formal salutation denoting his position as Head of Clan in the daylight than it had been the night before.

He ignored the missives a little longer, but neither a shower, nor strong coffee made them disappear. With a heavy sigh, he sat at his table, and opened the envelopes. There was a handwritten note in the one for tomorrow's event, tinged with the formality of tradition appropriate for addressing the Headman of one of the Four Noble Clans, but otherwise of no use in the parlance of every-day Konoha.

The beautiful penmanship flowed across the page.

_Lord Uchiha Sasuke,_

_Thank you for graciously accepting the invitations to the upcoming events honoring my sister. It has been many years since the Uchiha Clan and the Hyūga Clan have been able to celebrate together. I humbly request you take your rightful place at the head table for these events as is befitting both your status, and the longstanding ties between our clans. It is my sister's intention as future Clan Head and mine as Clan Mother to honor those bonds, and see them strengthen and grow._

_With sincere gratitude,  
Lady Hyūga Hinata_

Sasuke considered the signature and the raised seal at the bottom of the page. His fingers ghosted over the ink as he imagined what his parents' response to such an invitation might have been.

" _How kind,"_  his Mother would have smiled. " _You must accept – and be on your best behavior."_  He had no doubt these would have been her words if he were eight or eighty.

 _"They're up to something,_ " His Father would have muttered behind his paper. "' _Seats of Honor' always come at a cost."_

While Sasuke was inclined to agree with his Father, he knew he would follow his Mother's advice. He accepted the inevitability of it all with a heavy sigh.

His watched buzzed against his wrist, and he reflexively looked down at the message.

" _At hospital. Will let you know when we arrive in Suna."_

Of course, Kakashi had told him about Naruto's mission – probably because he knew Naruto would tell him about Naruto's mission. "Top Secret" was never a term Naruto had bothered embracing.

Sasuke sat back in his chair looked out of the large window to the blue of the morning sky.

Naruto wouldn't have bothered keeping him posted on his own travel plans, had Sakura not been on his flight. The idiot had been surprisingly not-meddlesome, but Sasuke doubted that would last – especially the longer they were both in Konoha.

But for now, she had made it very clear she was returning to her own life, and would only be back in Konoha for her assignment. He could hardly begrudge her that.

He looked back to the clear skies of the early morning.

"Safe travels," he murmured the old blessing, for such things were more powerful when spoken into existence. "May you be not long from your hearth, and always in good company."

Feeling his mother's nod of approval, he washed his dishes, and began his day.

* * *

**7:00 AM KST  
Konoha, Hyūga Hospital/Helipad waiting area**

Naruto was late.

Well.

Technically, he had been on time, but he had to finish something over on the ANBU side of things before heading over to the hospital. In an attempt to mitigate disaster, he had sent several clones ahead of himself on a secured ANBU shuttle – especially the clone henged as Temari.

That was the important part of his job today, really. Since Temari had been seen leaving Suna, she had to be seen returning. And since she had gone back with Gaara last night as part of his guard, someone had to henge a clone.

He was the most obvious choice, as he was also going to Suna and had loads of extra chakra to sustain a hearty shadow clone while they traveled.

Despite all logical reasons, Naruto strongly suspected Tsunade arranged this less so that he could be extra protection for the Kazekage family, and more to be there for Sakura; sort of a "contain the clusterfuck" strategy.

Per his instructions, Naruto had since left the ANBU side and re-entered the civilian portion of the hospital via the conventional means, and was being led to the waiting area up on the helipad.

"Just in here," the orderly said, indicating the door. "Dr. Haruno and the patient are on their way."

"Thanks," Naruto grinned, and made his way inside.

He had not expected to have company.

And he definitely didn't expect that company to turn and meet him with eyes pale as moonlight, and a kind smile.

"Good morning," Hinata's soft voice somehow traveled above the thrum of his heart in his ears. "Thank you," she said to the orderly. "I can manage from here."

The orderly nodded and left.

"Neji said he and Sakura will be up shortly," she offered, nodding to the large windows overlooking the helipad. "I understand the security team is almost ready for them."

"Good to hear," he said with an overly bright smile.

"Genma just stepped out," she gave a small frown as she consulted her phone. "He said to keep an eye on my phone."

As if on cue, the device buzzed in her hand.

"Hello, Genma," she answered. She listened for a moment or two, glancing at Naruto. "Yes, he is here. Yes. I shall tell him. Thank you, Genma."

Naruto raised his eyebrows to her as she tucked her phone away.

"Genma says there is a delay in releasing Kankuro. Something nominal on the security end. It does mean Neji will be a moment getting back here; he asked if you would mind terribly staying in the waiting area."

"That's fine," Naruto shrugged, wondering if Genma was only polite to Hinata, as none of that sounded even remotely like him. His own phone buzzed and he scanned the message.

" _Unidentified person seen following Hinata with equally unidentified package. Do us all a favor and stay put and out of trouble. Keep her safe or even Tsunade won't be able to undo what Neji does to you."_

Naruto smirked to himself. That sounded way more like Genma.

"Just my alert," he said, pocketing his phone. "So," he looked around the room, automatically scanning for exits, and mentally cataloging the surroundings. "I hear you are heading back to Suna soon, too."

"Hopefully," she agreed. "I tour our various facilities a few times a year, and Master Sarutobi was our guest. I would like to finish our tour. I'm counting on the next one being less eventful than the last one."

"I bet," he snorted. "Be hard to top that one."

"I'd rather not try," she smiled wryly.

"Pretty sure we all feel that way," he chuckled. "I think Temari lectured Kankurō to the point I'll be shocked if he leaves the Kazekage residence ever again."

"Oh?"

"Nah," Naruto's eyes danced with mischief. "I'm betting he'll sneak out on the first day back. And if I know Temari, so is she, and someone will shadow him."

Hinata shook her head with a smile. "Sounds complicated."

"Welcome to ANBU," he said with a shrug, and she laughed lightly.

"It has been a rather eventful introduction."

"Yeah," Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. "About that…"

The door to the waiting area flew open, and Naruto immediately stepped in front of Hinata, his chakra flaring with an instant and overwhelming intensity.

"It's me – It's ME!" the intruder hissed.

"You?" Naruto's chakra flickered back into something latent. "What are you doing here?"

"Just take this, okay?" he shoved a box at Naruto. "And next time,  _you_  take the crazy job."

"Naruto?" Hinata peered around him. "Is it someone you…oh?"

Hinata looked between Naruto and… Naruto.

"I don't understand?"

"Shadow clone," Naruto nodded to the irritated version of himself. "I have several here on assignment with me."

"Yeah well, my part is done," the other-Naruto snorted, yanking off a pilfered doctor's coat and tossing it onto a nearby chair. "Dispel me, please."

Hinata raised her eyebrows at the clone. "You can't dispel?"

"The clones I make for missions are much harder to dispel," Naruto explained, putting the box to the side. "Kakashi figured out a way to add an extra seal to them, but they can't dispel themselves."

"Yeah, and I can't get the seal off," the other Naruto tugged at the collar of his jacket. "A little help?"

There was a loud clatter, and suddenly there was a third, very harried, very disheveled Naruto with them.

"Get out of here!" he gasped, "she's right behind me!"

The first clone bit off a curse, and darted out of the waiting area, and through the series of doors leading outside to the helipad.

Tenten appeared half a second later, eyes gleaming, jaw set. She entered the waiting room just long enough to bite out. "Clone?"

"Yeah."

"Yours?"

"Yeah."

"Good." She raced out of the doors and multiple kunai flew from her hands, tags streaming behind them.

The clone dispelled in a puff of smoke, and Naruto winced.

"Was that necessary?" he rubbed his head.

"Was sending clones - one with a suspicious package! - sneaking around the restricted areas of the hospital and asking where to find the Clan Mother on the day we moved an figure of international importance necessary?"

"...Yes?"

"Then  _yes_." She snapped. "You," she rounded on the remaining clone. "Get down to Neji and tell him everything is fine. Do  _whatever_  he asks you to do. Understand?"

"Yes ma'am!" Clone #2 saluted and hurried away.

Tenten took a deep breath and pressed a hand to her forehead before letting out a controlled exhale.

She turned to back to Naruto, her temper clearly being held under a rigid control. "As for you…" She flicked a glance at Hinata and swallowed some of her more colorful vocabulary. "Genma seems to think that Hinata is safe with you, so I'm going to go tell the security team to stop wetting themselves. Am I going to regret this decision?"

"I'm sure it will be fine," Hinata interjected kindly. "It was all just a misunderstanding."

"Yeah," Naruto was quick to assure her. "Hinata will be fine with me… from me…all the mes…not that there was ever a problem in the first place...?" He trailed off with palms up and a hopeful smile.

Tenten looked between them and sighed.

"I already regret this decision," she muttered, but with one last stern look at Naruto, she left to report to the security team.

Hinata looked up at Naruto curiously. "You were looking for me?"

Naruto turned to Hinata, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah. Didn't figure it would cause such a problem. Guess maybe I should've thought that one through a little better."

"But why were you looking for me?" the crease between her eyebrows deepened. "Was everything alright.

"Guess I skipped that part," he grinned crookedly. "These are for you," he handed her the small, white box, tied with white twine. "I wasn't sure if I'd get the chance to apologize about the other day in person, so I thought it might not be a bad idea to hedge my bets, and…I might have heard that Amaguriama's cinnamon rolls are your favorite…?" he trailed off hopefully.

Understanding broke over her features, and she offered him a kind and reassuring smile.

"You didn't have to do this."

"Didn't have to do this as in… you don't like them?"

"Quite the opposite," she assured him with a small laugh. "But, really, there isn't anything to apologize for; it was all an accident."

"Yeah, well, that 'accident' left you unconscious, so I feel like the least I could do is offer you some cinnamon rolls."

"Then I thank you, Naruto," she smiled. "This is a kind and thoughtful gift and I am touched that you made such a personal effort." she met his eyes, and her own were large and shimmering and full of gratitude, (and when she said his name, something inside of him jolted pleasantly).

"Wow," he grinned crookedly. "When you put it like that, it sounds way cooler than 'Sorry I screwed up, please forgive me.'"

"Just one thing?"

"Name it."

"The next time you need to get a hold of me," the corners of her mouth twitched up in amusement, "start with a call or text. Maybe save the shadow clones as a last resort."

"Fair enough," he held his hands up. "No clones."

She laughed, then – a light silvery thing that invited him to join in.

"So… We are good?"

"Yes," she agreed. "We are good. Here," she opened the box and handed him a cinnamon roll. "As a show of good faith."

He took a bite and his eyes grew wide.

"We must be better than good – this is amazing!"

"They are pretty amazing," she agreed.

"Hinata? Are you ready to…" Neji paused in the doorway and looked between his cousin and Naruto, narrowing his eyes at the latter. "Don't you know if you feed the pests they'll never leave?"

"Ouch," Naruto snorted with zero remorse. "Except I have a flight to catch which you," he checked the large clock on the wall. "Are late for."

"There was a security delay. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

"Naruto was here when Genma alerted us to the problem," Hinata offered. "He was kind enough to agree to stay here until me until we received the all-clear."

As if by magic (or, if Naruto had to guess, as if by monitoring a security feed) a message giving the all-clear blipped across all their phones. In that moment Naruto blessed Tenten for not telling Neji exactly what had happened, and resolved to bring her back a souvenir from Suna. Something pointy.

"Tenten and Genma have just escorted Saukra and Kankuro to the helipad," he motioned to the window where they were loading Kankuro into the medflight.

"Guess that's my cue," Naruto popped the last bit of cinnamon roll into his mouth and dusted off his hands. "Nice to see you, Hinata," he smiled warmly at her. "Thanks for being such good company."

"Likewise," she returned his smile. "Safe travels."

"Excuse us, Lady Hinata," Neji stepped closer. "I need to get Naruto to the flight.

Naruto gave Hinata a final wave before following Neji to the helipad.

Neji kept throwing him suspicious glances, but Naruto didn't pay it any mind. Tenten stepped out and let them by.

"They're waiting for you," she said neutrally, and moved to speak with the pilot. Naruto got in to his seat - next to his clone henged as Temari, as Neji bid Sakura goodbye.

"I'll call when we land," she assured him," and he murmured something in her ear before kissing her cheek.

Everything wrapped up quickly, and they were soon winging their way to Suna and the Kazekage palace.

It wasn't until Naruto got back to his rooms that he had the chance to let Sasuke know they'd all landed safely. He was about to put his phone away when he received another message.

_'Thank you again for the cinnamon rolls. I appreciate the thought!'_

Naruto beamed.

'Happy to do it.' He paused before adding. 'You know there's a sweet shop here in Suna – tiny and tucked away. They have a local pastry kinda like a cinnamon roll. Will have to show you when you come.'

He held his breath after he hit send, wondering if maybe he was pushing the 'hey we are okay right? Right!' envelope too far too soon.

But she surprised him by replying. ' _I look forward to it.'_

" _Holy fuck,"_  Kurama stirred lazily, cracking open one eye. ' _Was that you asking out a girl?_ '

"No," Naruto said too quickly. "That was me still making up to the girl that I knocked unconscious."

" _Those better be some pastries,"_  he shrugged, and went back to stillness, leaving Naruto with a goofy smile and a racing heart.

* * *

**1:00 PM KST  
Konoha, ANBU R&D offices**

Neji had received word that Sakura and the others had arrived in Suna (thanks or no thanks to Naruto), and felt a small weight lift from his chest. His morning meeting with Genma and his Uncle had gone well, but he wanted to touch base with his and Hinata's teammates, as they were handling the most sensitive of the security for tomorrow's event. Genma had already told Tenten, and Lee; that left Shino and Kiba to Neji. He checked his watch. It was early; Shino was probably in the lab. If he found Shino, Shino would tell Kiba about the meeting and that would free him up to get some more things done before another meeting.

Neji wasn't trying to avoid Kiba per se, but he wasn't anxious to see him either. Kiba had never been his favorite person, but he was good to his Cousin. Curiously, he found himself wondering about the dinner with Tenten last night. She hadn't mentioned anything, but he also hadn't asked. He flushed. He refused to ask such questions as they were unbefitting of a Hyūga. However, if Kiba or Tenten chose to tell Hinata about the evening, and she chose to share that information, he would listen out of politeness.

As luck would have it, Kiba was sitting with Shino in his office. Neji recognized the bento box between them as one of Hinata's.

"Thank you snacks," Kiba said nodding to the box. "From your cousin. You want some?" he offered the box filled with Hinata's homemade treats. Neji politely declined. "Your loss, man," Kiba grinned. "Shino and I always knew we had the best kunoichi on our team, didn't we, Shino?"

"That is correct. What brings you down to the lab, Neji?"

"I need you both at a meeting today to go over the changes in security for the upcoming clan events."

"Oo," Kiba made a face. "What time? I kinda have plans for tonight."

"Oh?" Neji asked, fully prepared to dismiss any plans outright.

"Yeah," he confirmed, reaching for a muffin out of the box. "Didn't Tenten tell you? I'm taking her on in pool tonight."

Neji arched one eyebrow.

"So you are to be the latest in her long line of victims? I wouldn't have thought that hustle would have worked on you."

"It didn't," Kiba grinned a slow, easy grin. "No way is a girl like that is not a pool shark. But losing means I get to take her to dinner again; so, I win."

"And if you win?"

"I still win – she takes me to dinner. Not that I'll let her pay, of course," he shrugged.

This confused Neji. "Then why not just ask her back out for dinner?"

Kiba's grin grew wider. "Where is the fun in that? Man, do you even know your team mate? She jumps at the chance for friendly competition and bets and hates to lose. She might turn down dinner, but she'll never turn down a challenge. Besides, have you ever watched a girl play pool, Hyūga? I mean really watched?" He asked before leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head and giving an appreciative sigh. "Best sight around. Totally worth getting beat at the game."

Shino hmphed, preventing Neji from having to make a reply. "You are quite good as well. Who is to say you won't win?"

Kiba shrugged. "I already can't lose. I just have to keep the game going long enough to enjoy the view."

Neji's face was impassive, even as his tone dropped several degrees.

"Meeting. Three o'clock. We'll be done before four."

And he left.

Shino sighed. "That wasn't very wise, Kiba. Why? That is because, you intentionally tried to annoy Neji with your insinuations about your plans with and designs toward his teammate."

"I know," Kiba's grin was positively wolfish. "Fun, wasn't it?"

* * *

**11:26 PM SST  
Suna, Kazekage Residence**

Temari couldn't sleep.

She'd barely slept three hours together since Sakura's ANBU trial (since her fight with Shikamaru, her subconscious reminded her) and it didn't look like sleep would be coming any time soon.

Frustrated, she threw off the covers, dressed, and climbed up on to the roof.

She'd thought about going on a perimeter check, but with Gaara recently attacked, and Kankurō recently recovered, she couldn't bring herself to go far from the Kazekage residence.

The desert cooled quickly after the sun went down, but she forewent her usual calming cup of tea. Instead she stood at the railing of the small, private observation deck on the roof. Temari closed her eyes, and on her exhale, lifted her face to the sky.

The sky is where she could find her peace.

She had never cared for closed spaces, or for crowded areas. In Suna, the people had to be fairly close together; the city could only expand so far into the desert. Suna was both home and obligation; a people and a place. As the daughter of the Kazekage, Suna was her heritage, her burden, her joy, and her pride. But it was the sky over Suna that was her love.

As a child, she had watched the wind blowing for miles across the expanse of glittering hot sand and remind herself that the wind would always be free. It would always find a way – even when her father grew colder, her brother fought the madness of a demon, and her world closed in around her. She could breathe and pretend she was the wind – light, carefree, and untamable. At night, the enormous expanse of clear sky was an explosion of brilliant stars, and the view from horizon to horizon 360 degrees of unending. She had often spent nights alone in an isolated and desolate location, trying to count the sparks of cosmic light that flew across the ink-black of a desert sky.

Even now, she was able just to gaze over the vast sand-sea that was her homeland. It was in those moments that she felt balanced and at peace. She was at home.

She was so lost in thought that he was sitting just behind her before she even noticed he was there.

"Bit late for you to be stargazing."

"Shikamaru," she visibly started. "I… I didn't see you there," she finished lamely before lapsing into silence and turning her back to him

"Not like you to have your guard down."

His voice was right behind her now, and quiet. She lifted her eyes to the sea of stars above her, and began mentally tracing constellations to focus her thoughts. "No," she agreed. "It isn't."

A few more heartbeats passed before she offered: "Not like you to lose your temper."

"No," he agreed. "It isn't."

Shikamaru's hands were in his pockets, and he stood a hairsbreadth behind her. Temari's arms were crossed, and she was a hairsbreadth in front of him. It might as well have been the entire distance from Suna to Konoha.

She swallowed thickly.

"What are you doing here, Shikamaru? Why have you come?"

He exhaled softly.

"Every damn time."

Temari stiffened but couldn't bring herself to leave. Not when he'd come to her.  _Not after he'd said they were done._

"Every damned time something happens. Or doesn't happen. Or you go on a mission. Or you go to Suna. Or you come back to Konoha. Every damned time…" he sighed. "I worry."

"I know you can take care of yourself," he cut off her response before she could make it. "You can probably take care of yourself better than I can take care of you, and your siblings even better than that. Hell, now that I know Haruno is on your team, I shouldn't worry at all. The four of you are easily one of the strongest teams in all of ANBU." He let his gaze drift across her face, searching, and she realized she must have turend around at some point.

"Even knowing that summons was ours and the shinobi were clearly no match for your team plus Neji and Naruto – I still worried."

"When it comes to you," he shrugged. "I'm always going to worry. It is unacceptable to me that any risks be taken where you are concerned." He tightened his hold on her fingers. "That's just how it is."

And it was then that Temari had a startling burst of clarity. The peace she had felt – the calm – was a sense of home. It was something she had learned to find in Suna – but she'd felt it in Konoha, too. In those early mornings when they drank their tea in companionable silence. When they worked together. When they trained together. Home wasn't just the sparkling sands of Suna. Home was here. Home was now. Home was with him.

Temari was an excellent strategist in her own right, and with this new and pertinent information, she suddenly understood what his tirade had really been about. She did the only logical thing.

She snaked her arms around his neck and pulled him into an ardent kiss that he instantly and equally returned. "I am sorry I made you worry." She said softly against his mouth and kissing him again gently. "I am sorry I couldn't tell you about Haruno before now."

He had one arm circling her waist, and the other threaded in the hair at the base of her neck, holding her to him tightly and tucking her head into the crook of his neck while he kissed her forehead. "And I'm sorry I lost my temper."

He held her for a moment longer before she poked her head back up, remembering her conversation with Gaara. "Did my brother know you were going to do this?"

"Temari,  _I_  didn't even know I was going to do this," he responded wryly.

"Some genius you are," she smiled up at him. His reply was a kiss that left her breathless. She looked back up at him, her breathing uneven, her composure in tatters.

"That I knew about," he said slyly.

She swallowed hard. "Troublesome."

* * *

**Friday, March 27th 7:55 AM SST  
Suna, Kazegage Residence/Sakura's Quarters**

Since Kankuro didn't return to the hospital, neither did Sakura. She was "assigned" as Kankuro's personal physician for the next twenty-four hours, although she would not need to spend the night again if she didn't want to.

It had been a little surreal waking up in those rooms where she had stayed so long ago, but it hasn't been unpleasant. She was greeted by a tray that had been left in the outer room by one of the staff, and on the table was a lovely bouquet of white roses.

They were breathtakingly beautiful, and she buried her face in them, inhaling their delicate fragrance before reading the card. The handwriting was clear and precise.  _'Let's celebrate your recent successes and birthday with dinner when I return to Suna; anywhere you choose. – Neji'_

Her lips tilted into a thoughtful smile as she prepared her coffee and sank into her favorite thinking chair.

Sakura grew up with Ino, and was well versed in the language of the flowers – just as she knew Neji was. Per the traditions set forth by the hanakotoba, white roses could mean innocence, silence, or devotion.

Neji was strong and steadfast – it wasn't hard to believe he was devoted to her. They had become very close over the last couple of years, their professional relationship fostering a personal one.

However, as much as she cared for Neji - and she did care for him greatly - she realized she was relieved that there was no implication of love anywhere in his note. He was careful with his affections because of his history with his clan, and she was careful because of her history with Sasuke. Their handful of dates had been companionable and comfortable, but neither she nor Neji trusted surges of emotion. She'd have to be comatose to not be physically attracted to Neji; and she was attracted to him. He was kind and caring, he was solid and steady – they had good chemistry, even. It would not be difficult to imagine their relationship growing into something more serious and permanent.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the familiar research she'd retrieved from Chiyo's records; the one detailing her research on the Cursed Seal of Heaven.

How strange to think that in the last several days she had encountered the only two known survivors of the mark – and one of them was Sasuke.

Sasuke, who at sixteen and redolent with rage and an insatiable drive to avenge the death of his parents, had willingly allowed Orochimaru to infect him with the Cursed Seal.

Sasuke - who while she was working on her research with Chiyo, and then later mourned her passing with Gaara as they sought solace and refuge in one another – was being hunted by ANBU and a determined Naruto dead-set on bringing him home.

Sasuke, who was finally retrieved and cured of the Cursed Seal and brought back to Konoha shorty before he began his first year at Konoha University.

Sasuke, who was excelling and rapidly recovering when her offer to transfer to Konoha and study with Lady Tsunade arrived in Suna.

Sasuke who had been completely dismissive of her when she arrived at KU (and she of him).

In fact, up until the moment Sasuke kissed her for the first time, she had always assumed that she and Gaara would one day reunite. After that moment, though, she had known with equal certainty that there would never be anyone else.

Sasuke consumed her. He was a heady and life-altering drug that coursed through her system and buried itself in the helices of her DNA. He would always be a part of her, and she of him.

Or so she had thought.

A knock sounded against her door, and she shook herself out of her memories.

"Come in?"

"Hey," Kankurō gave a half wave and stepped in the room. "Thought you'd be up."

"Kankurō?" she blinked up at him and then paused. "What are you….Do I smell bacon?"

"Not just any bacon," Kankurō produced a large paper bag from nowhere. " _Secret_  bacon."

Her eyes grew wide. "You didn't..!"

"Sakura," he said loftily. "Secret bacon is sacred. I  _never_ joke about secret bacon. Besides, after all of that hospital food, I  _earned_  this."

She sighed happily as he handed her a bag (probably bought while henged and stored in one of those scrolls he'd scored off of Tenten.) "I'm sorry I ever doubted you."

"Forgiven," he dove into a singularly unhealthy-looking breakfast sandwich. "So," he reached for his coffee. "Who's sending you flowers? Hyūga?"

"Yeah," she gave a quick smile. "Sweet, aren't they?"

"So, what's the deal with you two? Haven't you been dating for about a month now?"

"I don't know that I'd call it dating," she frowned as she stirred her coffee. "We've gone out a couple of times," she shrugged. "I haven't had time for anything more than that."

"That's it?"

She arched an eyebrow. "What else were you expecting?"

"I don't know? Seems to me you wouldn't even bother on going on a couple dates if you didn't at least consider taking it somewhere."

"I've considered," she said airily.

"Mm," he hummed, flicking his eyes to the nearby scrolls. "Looks like you were up reading Chiyo's stuff."

"Yes. Brushing up."

"Reading about Uchiha?"

Sakura shrugged noncommittally and took a large bite of her sandwich to avoid commenting.

Kankurō gave a gruff grunt.

"Still miss him, huh?"

She gave a small, surprised, bitter laugh.

"How fucked up is that, Kankurō? I would understand if I was angry or shocked or dismissive, or even apathetic...but after five years I would've have sworn I was done missing him."

Kankurō snorted. "You never stop missing some people. That is the sad, fucked up truth of it. There are some people that get under your skin, whether they know it or not, or whether you like it or not, and that's where they stay."

"So does a fungus."

"You know, normally," he leaned back to consider her, "This would be Temari's territory, but seeing how Shikamaru snuck into the palace last night to make up, it's gonna have to be me."

"He what?" Sakura sat up. "Did he make up? Are they okay? Did-"

"I was able to leave and return - completely undetected - with secret bacon in hand. What do you think...?"

"Oh," she blinked, her cheeks turning a bright red. "Oh, wow."

"Yeah," he snorted. "Must've been some apology. But lucky for you, I got this. As half of the secret bacon pact, I am going to let you in on the secret of how to handle all of this shit."

Inexplicably, Sakura held her breath as he paused.

"Ok. Here it is. 'Be happy. Fuck everything else.'"

Sakura blinked twice. "That's... that's it?"

"That's it."

"Well, that clears it up entirely," she muttered, taking a bite of her sandwich. "Problem solved. On to cold fusion and immortality."

"Look, don't make this more complicated than it has to be. The last week-and-a-bit has been beyond insane for you, right? Well you can't fix that. You're in ANBU now, and life is going to get a hell of a lot weirder before it gets saner. Actually, I doubt it will ever get saner. But that's just life. Uchiha is around, but that might not mean shit. Hyūga is clearly chasing after you – you decide if you want to be caught, but know that you don't have to be." Kankurō shrugged. "You know how to make your own stands. Decide what's up in your own head."

"Oh, my head's not the problem," Sakura said dryly, "I know exactly what makes sense. Leave the past in the past, and keep living my life like nothing is different. See where things go."

"But things are different," he reached in his bag for a second sandwich. "And let's not pretend you won't think about it, because you already are. You can't just bury that in some file in your head without it seriously coming back to bite you in the ass."

"So what should I do, Kankurō?" she sighed wearily.

"Let it happen," he said emphatically. "It isn't in your nature to just dismiss someone, and he was important to you once. Probably still is. So just let it be that way. Don't try to analyze it or break it down into a logical explanation, because like you said, what you feel isn't logical. It's not supposed to be," he shrugged. "You get it?"

"So… basically just accept that this is fucked up and go with it?"

"Yup."

Sakura looked up to the man she considered a big brother, and a slow grin spread across her face. "Your delivery needs some work, but you've got some smart things to say."

"The other two do the diplomatic shit," Kankuro grunted. "I just call it like I see it. So. What have we learned?" He raised his eyebrows expectantly.

"That it's alright to be confused, and to just roll with it?"

"Very good. And what do we say?"

"Be happy. Fuck everything else."

"And are you happy?

She thought about all of the confusion and insanity that had been her life in the last few days, but then she thought about all of the good things that were now back in her life. Somewhere between what had been and what was coming, there was a whole lot of room for 'happy.'

"Yeah," she decided. "I am. Very happy, actually."

"That's my girl," he grinned. "P.S. The footnote is 'and if anyone fucks with you, you let us know and they will never see the light of day ever again,' you feel me?"

"Yeah. I feel you."

"Alright then," he stood up and gathered up his garbage. "Good talk. I'll see you later today, and remember what I said. There'll probably be a quiz."

"Got it," she smiled fondly. "Thanks, Kankurō."

"Any time," he grinned. "Especially that last part. I could use the entertainment. I've got some new toys I've been dying to try out."

"You almost did," Sakura said flatly. "A couple of days ago."

"Details, Sakura," Kankurō waved it off. "Stick with the mantra."

The door closed behind him, and Sakura stared at it for a few moments, collecting her thoughts. Her eyes fell on the white roses, many of which had yet to fully open.

"I guess you deserve a chance to blossom," she brushed her fingertip across the velvety bud, and took a deep breath.

Her text to Neji was short and direct.

_Thank you for the flowers. Looking forward to dinner."_

A few moments slipped by before he replied.  _"You are welcome – and so am I. See you Saturday."_

Saturday was her birthday, and Neji did return to Suna, as did Ino. They all celebrated her birthday in style, with Naruto keeping her spirits buoyed and lively. Ino helped her pack in Suna, and when she left for Konoha, Hinata flew back with Master Sarutobi and Yori.

When they all returned to Konoha, Sakura embraced the weightlessness that comes with a hopeful heart. They celebrated her birthday again with all of her Konoha friends, and it took her and Naruto and Ino to get her gifts back to the apartment.

When she finally sorted them, she found one, unopened scroll that she had missed.

Laying it on her bed, she unsealed it, her eyes widening with recognition.

The battle axe had been sharpened and regripped, and looked even deadlier than it had in the ANBU arena two-and-a-half weeks prior. The note inside was simple.

" _I believe you can continue to make good use of this. Here's to fighting on the same side. - Sasuke._ "

She stared at the note the corners of her mouth twitching upward without her consent.

"You really are a bastard," she breathed, testing the balance of the weapon. "But you've always had good taste."

She weighed her options as she shifted the axe in her hands. Did she thank him? Did she refuse the gift? Did she ignore it all together?

Did she…?

Sakura shook her head to clear her train of thought, and allowed her lips to curve wickedly at the thought of putting her new toy to good use.

"Be happy," she said, catching the eye of her reflection. "Fuck everything else."

She nodded in satisfaction, sealed away her gift, and proceeded to have the best night of sleep she'd had in years.

* * *

**Wednesday, April 15th, 12:05 AM KST  
Konoha, ANBU Base/Morgue**

The keys to a successful infiltration are to have a believable, sustainable cover, and a corresponding base of operations that invites no suspicion.

To that end, being a dead body in a morgue drawer was pretty much perfect.

He heard them during the autopsy.

_"Died from injuries. Impossible to tell if the injuries were sustained prior to or after arrival in Konoha. Subject's age, approximately thirty-seven. Matches description of missing-nin from Ame."_

The woman with the purple hair had continued her monologue into the microphone and found nothing unusual about his person. This body was to be cremated by the end of next week, assuming no next of kin could be found.

Of course, there wouldn't be any - he'd killed them all years ago.

His specialty in life had been infiltration, and it seemed that his specialty in death was no different. He dissolved into a dense smoke that drifted out of the morgue drawer to collect and reassemble around the seal he had warped into the cold, sterile metal of the autopsy table. He looked around the room, satisfied that he was out of sight of all cameras.

He found the ANBU's file and paperwork for his comrade in the next drawer. He unsealed the documents that had been inscribed into his flesh, and placed them in the folder.

The new information contained leads about the other dead man's next of kin that would delay the disposal of the body for at least three months. The leads were, of course, completely fictitious, and would do nothing more than buy time. He then placed a few more seals around the room in inconspicuous places and verified that the one on the neighboring corpse was still intact.

When his work was done, he returned to the drawer and released the jutsu that would alert his Captain of his success. Mere moments later, the edo tensei was lifted. The infiltrator returned to his death sleep, leaving behind the corpse of the man that had been killed to provide a body for his resurrected form.

His last thought was that this mission wasn't particularly difficult, but it was a nice change from being dead.

He hoped that Kabuto would call upon him soon to complete the job; the afterlife was far less interesting than sabotaging Konoha.

* * *

_And there you have it, friends! The Spring Arc is done!_

_But wait, Giada! What about Hanabi's birthday party? What about Kiba V. Tenten? Did Sasuke actually have to go to a social function and interact with people?!_

_Catch the story "Bonfire Nights" for answers to those and other questions. That work will have shorter updates, and run a bit more like my Sakura of the Sand story. Gonna be a fun time, I promise!_

_Thank you for reading friends - See you back here after a few updates to Bonfire Nights for the Summer Arc!_

_With a sincere and grateful heart, - Giada_

_PS: Shino was totally channeling Maude Pie... Good luck getting that comparison out of your head... ;)_


End file.
